Runaway
by Monster.Cupcakes
Summary: A man kidnaps children in order to conduct various experiments on them. When a girl named Ramona runs away is discovered by Yukia, a boy Black Jack and Pinoko adopted, her and the other children's lives change forever. Can they live a normal life ever again? -P.S. I would love to get critiques! Also, I DO NOT own Yukia, Black Jack, or anything OTHER than MY OCs. Thanks for looking!
1. 1) A test of survival

**Chapter 1.**

**Escape. **That's all I wanted-all I ever wanted my whole life. The silver spoon of freedom was just at my tired lips, but not quite in my mouth. My lungs burned and my heart thumped against my ribs, but I didn't care. I would do _anything_ for freedom. All of the sudden, I felt it. I could tell someone shot me. Though the pain was horrible, I didn't scream or cry. If I did, I would be caught and he was going to win. I simply couldn't let that happen to me- not again. I looked down at my wounded arm and saw the blood. There was so much blood. I bit my lip and continued to run through the darkening horizon, all the while holding back my bitter tears.

The sun began to peek above the horizon as I trudged to freedom. I soon discovered my wound was worse than I first thought. It was quite deep, which worried me horribly. To stop the bleeding, I tied a part of my shirt around it, as I've seen someone else do it before. I kept reminding myself that the pain was nothing compared to the wonderful feeling of being able to do whatever I wanted, when I wanted it. I forced myself to push on. I couldn't get caught…unless I wanted to become like some of the others. I was a normal child. Just like them_. I was kidnapped when I was playing happily by myself one day in my backyard. I heard faint footsteps. I didn't pay attention to them, and I continued to happily play in the dirt. The footsteps came closer and I turned around to see who it was. A man looked down at me with a grotesque smile. He dressed like a normal adult and he had brown hair. The worst part about him was his eyes; they seemed to look deep into your soul and hate every part of it._

_ I could tell by the man's appearance he wasn't a good man, but I didn't know how to react to him standing there, in my yard. He chuckled, and I knew I was in trouble. _

_"Why don't you come home with me?" He hissed._

_ I slowly stood up with a rock hidden in my left hand. He smiled playfully at me. What was he going to do to me? Fear built up inside my chest, a scream erupting from my throat as I threw the rock as hard as I possibly could at the stranger. I missed. _

_He stared down at me and chuckled," Y'know…I hate fighters… they're so troublesome." He covered my face with a cloth; I struggled against his grasp, but it was no use. My eyelids slipped shut and the world turned black. _

_I woke up on a cold metal table. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I saw a line of medical tools lined up on a small tray beside the table. _

_ "Oh, so you're awake," the horrid man announced. _

_ "What….are you-" the man cut me off._

_ " Relax, kid. I'm just making sure you were worth the trouble of abducting you," he replied coldly. _

_My head dropped down to my chest and I whispered, "Will I ever see my family again?"._

_ He glanced at me with his heartless brown eyes and replied," No. If I were you…I'd keep my pretty little mouth shut." I whimpered quietly. _

_ "Let's begin, shall we?" the doctor asked jokingly. He placed a mask over my mouth and nose, so I had no choice but to breathe in the strangely sweet smelling fumes. I screamed and cried. I didn't want him to hurt me, so I struggled against my restraints. The stranger grew visibly angrier._

_ "Shut up!" he yelled as he slapped me in my face, so hard I felt dizzy. I whimpered and sobbed softly. I had a dream. Was it a dream if it was unpleasant? No, that qualifies it as a nightmare, then. I was at a birthday party with all my best friends, including my parents. We were having so much fun. This was short-lived, because everyone, except myself, was fading away. I reached out to them, desperate to save them. When they were gone, I was alone, but not at a birthday party. Plain, white walls surrounded me. My nightmare ended when the doctor was finished._

_ "You have a special body, girl… You don't know how long I've been looking for a little lady like you. To find a girl as lovely as you is a rare find," the sick man stated happily. _

_ "Well, I guess my other children caught on that there is a new child in the family. How about I introduce you?" he added. _

_ "…Do I have much of a choice?" I stammered._

_ "__No, not really. I would suggest you acted more kindly to the man who could end your life in such a terrible way, sweetheart," he replied in disgust_


	2. 2) Captured Again

**Chapter 2.**

The dim light that peeked above the horizon grew brighter and brighter until a large light illuminated the sky. I searched my memory and found a word for that-_sun._ After all these years, I forgot how wonderful the sun felt against cold skin. I realized I was very close to a city, and was very hungry. _Almost there…I can get through this._ I thought over and over about those words. My thoughts were interrupted by a little boy's voice that quietly asked," Are you hurt?". My heart stopped as I turned my head to see him. He looked so young and innocent. My built up tears began to flow uncontrollably. I nodded my head vigorously and he turned around and sprinted away into the red dawn.

"Papa! Papa!" Yukia yelled. Black Jack jumped up and rushed to see what happened.

"What is it?!"

"I saw a girl with a bloody arm and she said she was hurt. It looks bad, Papa," Yukia exclaimed quickly.

"I'll be right there. Is she old or young?" Black Jack grabbed his bag and followed Yukia.

"She _looks_ young, but I'm not sure," the young boy replied hastily. Yukia is a kind boy who Black Jack and Pinoko adopted earlier that year. As they approached the girl, she became tenser. Her eyes were focused on Black Jack's bag and nothing else. Yukia smiled.

"Don't worry, this man is a doctor." As soon as the girl heard that, she curled up in a ball and covered her most vital places. Black Jack picked the girl up and carried her back to his home, as they weren't far and he had left some things he needed at home anyway.

"What's your name?" The girl flinched at the sound of Black Jack's voice.

"M-My name….is Ramona."

"That's a pretty name," Yukia chimed in. When Black Jack and Yukia returned home, Pinoko was outside hanging up the freshly washed clothes. She noticed the doctor carrying a small girl and huffed. _It's always the girls he helps, isn't it?_ Pinoko thought. Of course, this wasn't true. Even Pinoko knew that, but she also knew Black Jack was more gentle with girls.

I found myself, once again, in a doctors' possession. I knew from his cold eyes he cut many other people, and wouldn't spare me from the blade. I won't let him hurt me. No, I _can't_ let him hurt me. I will be defiant, and I will _never_ let another doctor lay a finger on me _ever_ again.

Yukia looked down at the small, dirty girl curled up on the examination table.

"Ramona, I need you to uncurl for me."

"No. I know what you're planning to do to me! I won't let you!"

"…Ok, tell me what I plan on doing to you."

"….You want to hurt me…You're all the same."

"Is that so? … Really, I was planning to see what caused there to be blood coming from your arm."

"All you needed to do was ask-I was shot," the girl huffed. Black Jack knew she was terrified by something, but he couldn't think what it could be.

"Will you let me see it?"

"…Will you hurt me?" Black Jack shook his head and Ramona looked deeply into his eyes. She knew he wasn't a liar, she could tell by the look in his eyes. Ramona learned many years ago that the eyes were the windows of a person's soul, and she learned how to tell how evil a person was based just off their eyes. She saw something deep inside the doctor, something she's seen in everyone she's met in her life…pain. She could tell he had been through horrible pain, and so had Yukia. He would understand her pain…wouldn't he? Reluctantly, Ramona outstretched her injured arm to Black Jack. He examined the wound for a few moments, then asked Yukia to get him a few things. Ramona knew what would come next. She trembled at the memories of being restrained while someone slashed at her. Fear gripped at her heart like a frozen hand. Yukia returned with a small tray of tools. Ramona remembered that first time she was on an operating table and shivered. Yukia stood and watched his father clean Ramona's wound.

"This is a bullet hole. What happened?" Ramona looked down and sighed. She didn't want to tell him her story, since she knew he wouldn't believe her or possibly return her to her captor. She thought for a moment, then replied," Please believe me when I tell you…" Black Jack nodded and Ramona continued with her story:

_The doctor led me to a small room filled with about 15 other children. They were all dirty with tear streaks on their pitiful faces. When the children saw me, they froze, their eyes filled with sadness and pity. I swallowed hard. Is this where I would live out my life? I asked myself. _

_The doctor shoved me inside and grinned," Play nice, kids!". He then slammed the door and locked it. The children were mostly girls, with a few boys here and there. They looked at me sadly. _

_I glanced around and asked," Is this where I'll live?" Almost all of them nodded gravely. _

_"I'm so sorry, girl," One boy apologized sincerely. I shook my head and replied," No. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault….except mine." _

_"So, are ye gonna introduce yerself?" A small girl rasped._

_"My name is Ramona."_

_"How were you taken?" an older girl inquired._

_"How old are you?" a one armed girl cried._

_"Are you gonna cry?" a browned haired boy exclaimed._

_"Hey, hey, guys. Let her relax; She's only just arrived and I'll bet she's very scared and confused," a girl about the same age announced to the room. Many people nodded, while others turned and whispered. Suddenly, the harsh reality hit me. I wasn't going to see my family again. I was never going to return home. I was stuck there…forever. I fell to my knees and wept. The girl who had people stop asking me questions rushed to my side. _

_"Shh, shh. You're gonna be alright. I promise," she cooed._

_"…You can call me Rain," she continued. She kept holding me until I stopped crying. Rain had blackish-blue hair with white streaks; Her eyes were kind and soft. She had scars running up her arms._

_"I'll keep you safe for as long as I live, understand?" I nodded._

Ramona finished her story and looked at Black Jack again. He looked unfazed.

"You don't believe me," she breathed.

"Fine, don't," Ramona pulled up her shirt to reveal many scars running down her stomach," Scars don't lie." Black Jack stared at her scars and nodded. He looked at Ramona's face and a memory flashed in his mind from around 10 years ago. There was a missing child and she was taken right from her yard while she was playing. Her mother committed suicide 3 months after her daughter's disappearance, and the father died in a car accident 2 months later. Ramona looked older, of course, but the resemblance was still there. It all added up. Black Jack had to treat her first, then he'd figure out Ramona's origins. He administered local anesthetic and went to work. Ramona knew the anesthetic wouldn't work, but she played along. Anesthetic never worked on her, ever since she was a very small child. The pain wasn't horrible, so Ramona managed it.

"Are you alright, Ramona?" She nodded, quickly blinking away a few tears. A few moments later, Black Jack announced, "I'm done." Ramona let out a relieved sigh as he wrapped bandages around her arm. Yukia's eyes were sparkling and innocent.

"You can leave now, Yukia."

"Ok, Papa. Do you want me to clean up for you?"

"That's ok. Go and play; you've earned it." Black Jack ruffled his son's hair and Yukia placed down the tray and sprinted out of the house.

"Ramona, who are your parents?"

"My father is Shiro Koizumi and my mother is Yoshiko Koizumi." Black Jack had no doubt in his mind now-Ramona was the missing child.


	3. 3) A Light in the Darkness

**Chapter 3.**

Black Jack didn't tell her at first. He wanted to fully confirm his suspicions, so he headed down to the local police office to check the records.

"A female who was kidnapped 10 years ago?" the woman asked with a twinge of boredom. Black Jack nodded. The woman opened a file cabinet and fingered through the files until she reached one marked under R. She handed it to him while skeptically looking at his scar.

"Thank you." The girl's name was Ramona Koizumi. The picture was of her in front of a wooden fence with a huge smile on her young face. She had purplish hair and big, brown eyes; just like the girl. After reading the whole file, the answer was clear to him.

Ramona paced across the wooden floor. Yukia followed her with his loving eyes and asked," Are you alright?"

"Yes…It's just that…I wanna have a family again."

"Don't worry!" Ramona looked up at the boy.

"I thought like that, too. Papa found me and then I got a new family. Someday, your family will come." Ramona nodded, but she knew since he was just a child he was oblivious to the harsh realities of the world.

_"Wake up! Wake up, everyone!" The voice ripped through the usually silent room. The sluggish children were shaken awake by the more energized ones. _

_"One of the children has escaped," The doctor eyed everyone in the room," and I'm not happy. If anyone knows where the child could have gone and you don't inform me, there will be a hefty price to pay. Questioning will start tomorrow morning at 8 AM, got it?" _

_All the children, including myself, said in unison, "Yes, Doctor." He nodded and closed the door behind him. When the footsteps faded into the distance, the room buzzed with whispers and gasps. Rain stood in the middle of the small room and asked everyone to line up, youngest to eldest. Since Rain was the mother figure in the "house" everyone obeyed her. She wasn't the oldest in any sense, it's just she was the strongest. She quickly counted everyone and, indeed, one was missing. _

_"…Kurumi…" Rain mumbled. Kurumi was a 9-year-old girl whose hand was brutally amputated a few weeks prior. No anesthesia was used, so her terrified screams could be heard for miles. Many children plugged their ears to try and drown out the horrid sound, but to no avail. The place we call "home" was located far away from any town and, just in case, was sound proofed. Escape was rare, and success was even rarer. Rain got close to everyone and asked as quietly as possible if anyone knew anything about the escape. She did this so the older, stronger ones can take the punishment rather than a weak child. A small, 9-year-old girl looked down at her toes._

_"Romi-chan, do you know anything?" Rain asked slowly. The tiny girl nodded. Rain tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes._

_"Romi, what do you know?"_

_"K-Kurumi told me not to tell…"_

_"Ok, only tell me. You know I won't tell." Romi whispered something into Rain's ear. _

_"Ok, everyone! I need you to line up, weakest to strongest!" They lined up against the wall quickly and quietly. Rain walked down the line and eventually stopped at an older boy. _

_"Kinji, will you be willing to take Romi's punishment?" Kinji was just a teenager, yet he had white streaks in his brown hair. He thought for a while, and answered with a wordless nod. _

_"Good. I need you to admit to knowing," Rain whispered something into Kinji's ear," and we all need you to be strong." Kinji nodded. _

_"Romi-chan, I need you to never, ever tell the doctor what you know. Good luck." The next morning, Kinji was the first to be interrogated. We all waited patiently for him to return, but the questioning ran longer than usual. Suddenly, loud, pain filled screams were heard. Romi curled up close to Rain as the gut wrenching screeches filled the room._

_"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Romi whimpered._

_"Shhhh, shh. It's not your fault." The doctor returned after an hour and Kinji had a new scar running down his left forearm. _

_"You're all lucky! Kinji decided to tell me everything I needed to know." Rain looked up at him with a mischievous gleam in her blue eyes. _

_"As a result, there will be no further questioning," Romi relaxed and her eyes softened. The doctor exited the room and closed the door behind him. Kinji was left standing and he looked down at Romi with scornful eyes. Rain looked up at him and asked," How'd it go?" _

_"Better than usual. Romi could have handled that kind of pain!"_

_"Kinji! She's only 9! Look, you did her a favor, so now she owes you one. That's how it works here." Kinji glared at Romi, but digressed. After the whole experience, I decided I had to make a plan to escape someday._

Black Jack returned home after a few hours. Ramona knew in her gut there was something wrong.

"Ramona, we need to talk." Ramona's anticipation and dread grew.

"What is it?" Ramona inquired. Black Jack gestured to the chairs in his living room, and Ramona sat.

"I've discovered something….very troubling. You are a missing child."

"Ok….is that all?"

"No. Your parents both died after you were abducted." Ramona broke inside. This pain was the worst she'd ever felt in her life. Her parents were the thing that kept her going…. but now…Ramona sobbed," NO! It's not true!" Black Jack only stared at her compassionately. He knew what it felt like to lose a wonderful mother. Ramona wished she could be with Rain, the closest thing to a mother she ever had…"_As long as I live, I will protect you…"_

Rain waited. Not patiently, but she waited. _It's almost time_, she kept reminding herself. She fidgeted with the stolen scalpel in her hand. Daichi, a 12-year-old girl, smuggled it from the doctor. The plan was simple: when the doctor walked in to taunt us, Rain would get behind him and stab him in his back. Rain memorized all the vital places on a human, so she knew _exactly_ where to stab him. Rain promised Ramona she would protect her. How could she do this while being trapped here? She knew it was time for the great escape, in which everyone will be freed. The time soon came. As expected, the doctor came in, and Rain stayed by the door, scalpel in hand. He smiled and greeted everyone with a "Good Morning!" although no mornings were good anymore… except this one. Rain emerged silently from her spot on the wall. Everyone knew to not look at her, which was posing a huge challenge on the little ones. She held her breath as she approached him. He continued talking about whatever, and Rain plunged the scalpel into the doctor's back. The children all ran to him and held him down, the younger ones holding his arms and the elder ones holding the legs. He was bleeding profusely, and in a lot of pain, but it served him right. The only problem was, Rain missed the vital organ

She crouched down to his level and whispered," How does it feel, doc?"

"Shitty. Just like you!" he replied as he spit in her face.

"Hm. Well, then. We can't be having the doctor moving around while we punish him, can we?" everyone shook their heads in unison.

"Thought so. I'll be right back…. And you" she tapped the doctor's nose," stay right where you are!" Rain laughed like he did and quickly fetched all of the tools she wanted. She walked slowly back with a tray full of tools and looked into the doctor's eyes. They were scared, pitiful little things. _Just like us_, Rain thought sadly. Rain injected him with a drug that will paralyze him for 6 hours. Perfect. They weren't originally planning to kill him, of course. They only wanted sweet revenge. the drug kicked in after a few minutes, and everyone helped carry the doctor's stiff body to his operating latched his arms in place, while Kinji latched the legs. Rain looked at everyone. They looked at the man who had destroyed their lives with pure hatred. Rain picked up a scalpel and cut off his shirt. The doctor pleaded with her, just like they had. Rain sliced him open like he had done so many times to everyone. He screamed. Rain couldn't handle the pure rage she held against him. How dare he hurt us when we scream, and then scream in agony? She put down the scalpel and with all her strength, slapped the doctor in the face and screamed," SHUT UP!" She ripped through his muscle to reveal his organs. A small child threw up.

"Take her out of here; she's too young for this," Rain stated coldly. Rain looked down at the pitiful man and sighed. She looked into his eyes as she stabbed him in his most vital area;his heart. _Funny, I never knew he even had one_, Rain thought cruely as his eyes glazed over.

The sun was shining beautifully as Ramona's tears dried up.

"Where will I…live?"

"I haven't reported you as found yet, so it's all your decision." Ramona looked at Black Jack.

"I don't have a decision. Mine ran out a long time ago." All of the sudden, a loud knocking was heard at the door. Yukia ran to it and opened it. Ramona's eyes widened when she saw the girl in the doorway.


	4. 4) Discoveries

**Chapter 4.**

"Rain?" I breathed. I ran to her and embraced her as we sobbed. Rain let go and held my shoulders.

"Ramona, I'm lost and hungry. Please help me!" I snapped back to reality.

"Are you alright?"

"…No. No, I'm not. Something terrible happened to Rain…" I looked at Black Jack," Help me find her and I'll do _anything_ for you!" He pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Ok." I led him to where "home" was, and he had a gun hidden in his cloak. Though Yukia wanted to come, there was no way in hell Black Jack would allow him to go. As we got closer, I heard many hollers of joy. Were my ears playing tricks on me? No. Black Jack heard them too. We approached slowly, my heartbeat rising with each step I took. Suddenly, Rain sprinted out the doors, and, at the sight of me, screamed with excitement.

"SHH! He will catch you and cut you more if he finds you!"

"Hehe, that's why I'm soo happy!" Horrified, I shook my head slowly.

"Don't be upset, Ramona! We're all free now!" There was no way this was true. No _way_….unless…

" What happened?!"

"He left." Suddenly becoming quiet, Rain realized Ramona had a man with her.

"What happened to him?" Rain whispered while nodding towards Black Jack. Ramona shrugged.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They're inside… I've been looking for a girl who went outside and got lost."

Ramona instantly remembered her vision and replied shakily," We have to find her-_now!"_

Romi had been walking around for hours. Surely _someone_ was looking for her…right? It was hopeless. She was getting more exhausted and hungry by the moment. She trudged on, regretting each and every step she took. Eventually, she collapsed into a deep sleep.

Yukia sat on the floor in his room and played happily while Pinoko vacuumed the rest of the house. He was used to being alone, so that didn't bother him much. Although it was rare, Yukia became very bored with his action figures and went outside. He smiled at the nice, warm sun mixed with the soft breeze and smell of the ocean. He skipped along the cliff, playfully humming a song. Suddenly, he heard a **_crash_**_!_ And spun around to see what went wrong. He rushed inside to find his mother in the kitchen with many shards of a glass plate in front of her. She mumbled a curse and soon noticed Yukia.

"Yukia, can you get me a broom, please?" Yukia quickly nodded and grabbed the closest broom.

"Thanks, sweetie."

"I think I found something!" Ramona yelled excitedly.

Rain swiveled around and asked quickly," What is it?"

"There are footprints right here!" Rain rushed over with Black Jack close behind.

"They're her size!" Rain almost jumped for joy. Ramona hastily followed the tracks until they merged with the dirt and disappeared. Ramona, Rain, and Black Jack searched for hours for the lost little girl.

Romi woke up, startled. Someone was following her. Could it be Rain? Kinji? Daichi, maybe? Romi was getting scared, since she had barely any energy to walk, let alone run. The talking and footsteps only got closer. Something told Romi to get away, but something else was urging her to stay. Romi began to cry. She was only 9, and she cried whenever she was scared, which was _often_. People usually shied away from her because of this, but Rain was always there for her. Rain never cried, though. She always kept her feelings locked away in an unbreakable safe. Suddenly, someone yelled happily, "There she is!" and Rain froze.

Black Jack was still behind the others. His mind was racing. Who are these people? What has happened to them? Why are they covered in blood? These questions were to be answered in time, he told himself. After hours of searching, the little girl named Romi was found crying by shrubbery. She, too, was bloody. Not as much as Rain, but still. The thing that concerned Black Jack wasn't that they were bleeding-it was that the blood was _splattered_ onto them. Rain carried the small, weak child in her arms as if the girl was her only daughter.

"Poor girl, hasn't eaten in about a day."

"She looks malnourished; We should take her to my place." Rain suddenly became serious.

"That won't be necessary. We have medical equipment and everything we need to live here."

"Let me at least examine her—It doesn't matter if she's here or there, does it?" Rain shook her head as if to say _sure, whatever._ Ramona unconsciously rubbed her bandaged arm. Rain had a morbid realization as, she forgot to dispose of the doctor's body. She turned to Black Jack and blurted," Can you hold her for me?" _She can't be that heavy_, Black Jack thought. Black Jack took the frail girl from Rain's arms and Rain ran to the former operation room. To her surprise, it was completely clean. Rain walked around the large building aimlessly. _Why are there so many rooms if he only used two?_ Rain wondered to herself. Surely, there must be a purpose for the rooms! Mostly, the rooms were plain white with an occasional bed or chair. There were around 12 of them, none seeming like they were ever used. Though she didn't want to, Rain entered the room that imprisoned them all. To her surprise, that's where everyone stayed.

"Did you guys clean up the O.R.?" Rain whispered loudly.

"Yeah. It's not like we didn't know you were all over that guy out there," Kinji made kissy faces to taunt her. Rain shook her head quickly and grinned playfully.

"We didn't want him to think we were murderers or anything!" Daichi laughed. Black Jack suddenly entered the room and looked at everyone. With a slightly shocked expression, he announced," The girl, Romi, is malnourished. She needs to be fed quickly or she may die." Daichi quickly stood and sprinted to the kitchen. Daichi was the person who cooked for everyone in the "house". The "house" was fully equipped with a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, an operating room, and, apparently, 12 bedrooms. No one understood the _whys? _or _hows?_ of the house, yet no one asked questions. Daichi returned with a friendly smile.

"Where is Romi?" she inquired politely.

"She's in the third room on the left," Black Jack replied without any emotion. Daichi exited the room, but kept the door open. Ramona was looking out the doorway sadly. Haru and Matoshi ran around and played like any other child would.

"What's wrong?" Ramona, startled, gasped as she spun around.

"….Oh, nothing." She looked back at the happy children. Black Jack let it go, but it still bothered him. Something was….wrong. There was something missing. Ramona told him of "the doctor" and he knew he wouldn't have just left for no reason. He decided to investigate.


	5. 5) Home

**Chapter 5.**

Black Jack wondered around for a while, unsure where to go. He looked in every room for something-_anything_ that would tell him any information on this place. Oddly, there was a file on each child at the building in the operating room. He looked at Ramona's first. There were a few sheets of medical notes, a picture of her, and, most interestingly, a list. It listed off all the operations that had been performed on her. Each operation had a YES or NO by it. Most of them had a NO by them. Black Jack thought for a second on what it could mean. He suddenly noticed a small box that was sloppily drawn on the bottom right of the page. It said:

**YES/ANESTHETIC **  
><strong> NONO MEDICATION USED**

in messy handwriting. Black Jack's eyes widened. There was simply no _way_ a girl like Ramona could withstand that kind of pain. A chill ran down his spine as he realized the operations became more intense as she aged. He quickly skimmed all the other files, and discovered he did this with all his patients. One name jumped out at Black Jack in particular-Hikaru Eri. He hadn't heard that name in so long, Black Jack almost forgot who the girl was. She went to the same hospital as he did when his life went downhill. He would never forget when she nearly killed herself in the river. He sighed at the memory, then glanced at her picture. She looked like she had been crying before the photo was taken. She now had long, dark blue hair, unlike the short blue spiky bob she had as a child. Her right eye, the one that was bandaged, was a milky white. Black Jack couldn't look anymore and hastily shut her file. He decided to take the files home to look at each one more closely.

Ramona looked around the small room. No longer did people cower in fear. Everyone was smiling or laughing and, Suddenly, a great idea hit her. Everyone had nowhere to go, and no one to go to. Here they were, at a large house, although 2 rooms brought back horrid memories. Ramona looked for Rain and quickly found her talking to Sachico, a 7-year-old girl. Ramona stood and looked at Rain silently, as she didn't want to interrupt.

"What is it, Ramona?" Rain asked politely.

"…Can we speak somewhere a little more private?" Rain nodded and we went to one of the many bedrooms.

"I've been thinking and….I think we should live here."

"R-Ramona, are you serious? We've spent our whole lives being _tortured_ for a sick bastard's experimentation!"

"Listen; We could live in the _12 bedrooms_! A few children can share a room, since there are 16 of us. Where else would we go?!" Ramona yelled. Rain looked down and tears streamed down her face.

"I…I don't know," she sniffled.

"I'm sorry, Rain-"

"It's not your fault. It's his, and he's gone…. forever."

"What do you mean? I thought he left! What did you do?!"

"We killed him!" Rain snapped. Ramona had mixed emotions; Happiness and confusion. Rain wasn't like that-she would never harm another human…right?

"I'll keep your secret," Ramona sighed.

"What're we gonna go?"

"I guess we have no choice but to live here. I'll go tell them." Rain left the room and Ramona was alone. Abruptly, a realization came into Ramona's mind: No one had a job. Her mind spun as Black Jack came into the room.

"We're going home," he stated. _Home?_ Ramona thought, confused. She was so full of emotions that she didn't care where she went. She said her goodbyes and walked home with Black Jack.

He turned to her and asked," When was the last time you attended school?"

"Oh, um… I didn't attend public school since 1st grade, but the older children taught me lessons they remembered from the older grades." Black Jack felt pity for the girl. She had been through so much, but she seemed so normal. She reminded him of Yukia, since they both were very kind children. He glanced at her arms. One had a small scar on it.

"It was a tracking chip." Ramona interrupted Black Jack's thoughts.

"…Was?"

Ramona nodded," Rain helped me get it out-it wasn't in deep." Black Jack shook his head as they walked through the door.

"Welcome home, chenchei!" Pinoko announced happily. Yukia ran out of his room and hugged his father around the legs. Ramona simply smiled sheepishly as she was ignored.

"Will you play with me?" Yukia blurted. Ramona nodded and her smile became wider. They both went back to the boy's small room.

Black Jack was in his study, reading through all the files. He noticed that all the patients were test subjects. Sometimes limbs were amputated and the subject's mental state was evaluated before and after the operation. Black Jack decided to call it a night and check on Yukia. He quietly opened the door and what was inside slightly shocked him. Ramona lay curled up beside Yukia, who was fast asleep. He smiled slightly.

"They're so cute, aren't they?" Pinoko asked quietly. Startled, Black Jack answered with a nod.

"Find anything interesting?" Pinoko inquired, gesturing towards their bedroom.

"Yes, actually. I'll spare you of the gory details," he replied as they walked into their room.

"Are you going to do any more investigating?"

"Dunno. Those kids seem nice, though. I don't think it would hurt Yukia to come with me."

"I saw one of those files, chenchei. They must be traumatized by all that! I really don't know…" Pinoko's voice trailed off.

"What's the worst they can do?" Black Jack replied. Pinoko shrugged.

"This world only needs one of me-It'll be good for him to play with other children." Pinoko chuckled and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, chenchei," she sighed sleepily.

Yukia was only 5, but he was already a loner, just like his father. Yukia seemed to follow in Black Jack's footsteps, since he was the best person Yukia had to look up to. He was very interested in medicine. Black Jack let him "help" sometimes, but nothing more. Yukia didn't have many friends at school, which was disappointing to his parents, but not himself. All Yukia needed to be happy were his parents. He, now sleeping peacefully, was about to meet someone he'd never forget.


	6. 6) A Strange Visitor

**_In this chapter, 3 characters are introduced. Haru and Motoshi are nods to the characters in the fanfiction called Cyclone by the very talented Cascade Fantasy. Hikaru is a character from the fanfiction called Black Spade: Part ONE by AnimeMangaOtakuWriter. I do NOT own Cyclone, Hikaru, or Black Spade, nor do I claim to own them. Enjoy and please leave a review! _****_J_**

C**hapter 6.**

Yukia woke up before Ramona. He lay in an awkward position, with his legs splayed around and Ramona cuddled against him.

"Ohayou…It's time to get up!" Yukia murmured sleepily. Ramona woke with a loud _gasp!_ And looked around the room quickly. She had a dream of a small, blind girl holding hands with a normal little girl. Ramona hastily got up and opened Yukia's desk. She pulled out a pencil and paper and began to sketch the girls. Their faces were happy and smiling. Ramona made sure to include those small, yet large features. Yukia looked over her shoulder and watched.

He smiled and breathed," You draw so good!" Unfazed, Ramona nodded. She finished and signed her name.

"Who are they?" he asked sweetly.

"I don't know…" Ramona replied coldly. Pinoko opened Yukia's door and grinned,"Ohayou! Breakfast is ready!"

"Okay, Mama." They both trudged into the kitchen, both still sleepy. Black Jack was reading a newspaper and drinking coffee silently, as always.

"Papa," Black Jack peered over the paper," Did you know Ramona is an artist?" Ramona blushed, but said nothing.

"What kind of art does she do?" He asked, as if she wasn't sitting across from him.

"She can draw real-looking people! Let me show you…" Yukia padded down the hall to his room and returned moments later with Ramona's Sketches. He handed the one with the two girls to Black Jack. He looked down at them emotionlessly.

After a few minutes of looking, he nodded and stated," They're good."

"Thanks," Ramona smiled and looked at Yukia sweetly. _Black Jack and Pinoko are so lucky to have him_, Ramona thought.

"Are we going back there?"

"Yes," Black Jack turned to Yukia," Would you like to come, Yukia?"

"Yeah!" He replied with a huge smile. Black Jack couldn't help but smile back. Yukia gave out a very happy atmosphere, and was enjoyable to be around.

The walk to the "house" was short. Yukia skipped playfully behind his father. Rain was outside with a few other people, sitting in the warm sunlight. A little boy saw them, and tugged on Rain's dress.

"Oh, welcome back!" Rain announced. She noticed Yukia, and smiled a greeting.

"I see you've brought someone with you!" Rain bent down to Yukia's level," What's your name?"

"Hazama Yukia. What's yours?"

"Rain." Yukia stared blankly at her, confused.

"What about your surname?" He asked curiously.

"…I..I can't remember," Rain stuttered.

Yukia smiled and replied," That's okay! I don't mind!" Rain smiled and realized that the man Ramona came with was gone.

"Ramona, I've _great_ news!"

"What is it?"

"Do you remember when that older girl escaped?"

Ramona nodded.

"She came to us last night to" Rain winked a few times," and she said she'd help us go to school again!" Ramona couldn't believe it. The younger kids can get a fresh start at life! The older ones, like herself and Rain, would be _much_ harder to just start where they left off.

"Hikaru will teach us everything we missed!" Rain added sweetly. Yukia, still standing by them, looked at them both with confusion.

"Let me introduce you to the children," Rain blurted. Yukia followed them to the small room, which most children stayed for comfort. Rain introduced Yukia to Haru and Motoshi. Haru looked through her long, black bangs and grinned sheepishly. Motoshi narrowed his eyes at Yukia and spat," Who's this?"

Yukia self-consciously held his arms behind him and muttered," I'm Hazama Yukia."

"My name is Haru!" The small girl cheered happily. Haru was around Yukia's age. She wore a white eye patch, because a lobotomy was performed when she was only 3 years old. Unfortunately, she lost her eye due to an infection. Her older brother, Motoshi, was very protective over her and was always with her.

"Do you wanna play Shiritori?" Haru asked sweetly. Yukia nodded.

Ramona walked through the empty rooms with Rain.

"Where do you think she went?" Rain asked quietly. Ramona shrugged, and when they entered Romi's room, they saw her sitting by the small girl's bed.

"_Three red seeds, two blue seeds, how many white seeds?_

_ Six white seeds five red seeds, how many blue seeds?_

_Sleep now, my sweet darling. San Merida, San Merida._

_An owl is hooting at your beloved San Merida forest._

_If I can hear it so can you," _Rain touched her scar on her forearm and sang with her," _The cry that echoes throughout the years _

_Clears my deepest fears_

_If I can hear it why can't you?_

_The owl comes out to me_

_Shows me where to go._

_San Merida, San Merida._

_The voice sings out through the forest night, leads my way like a candlelight_

_Hush little one it will be all right_

_My white owl is calling you…" _They finished singing and looked at each other. Hikaru smiled and held a finger to her lips. She exited the room and joined the two girls in the hall. Rain smiled shyly.

"So, I heard you escaped, Ramona."

"Yes, I did," Ramona touched her bullet wound. She remembered the day Yukia found her and looked at her toes.

"…How did you accomplish that?"

Ramona took a breath, then began," I did it when the doctor was experimenting with Daichi. I pretended like I was using the restroom, and I busted out the window. The hardest part was making sure to keep it a complete secret, _and_ to hide my tracks. I ran and ran and I got shot. Luckily, a little boy found me. His father was a doctor, and he treated my wound," Ramona sighed.

"Great job. My escape was much worse… I won't dampen the mood any further with my ranting. I want to help you and the rest of the children. Lucky for you guys, I have a _very_ well paying job, so the financial situation is gone. Now, all that's left is school. I have a high school diploma, and I'm in college now…"

"Whoa, whoa. We should discuss this more privately," Rain broke in. Hikaru nodded and followed Rain into a room with a small bed. Rain sat and gestured for them to sit. They both plopped down beside Rain.

"Can we attend public school?" Ramona asked hastily.  
>"Unfortunately, no. I have an idea, though. Maybe, just hear me out, we can open a home school here."<p>

"_HERE_?!" They both asked, shocked.

"I said hear me out. Anyway, we can hold classes on the second floor-"

"There is no second floor!" Rain exclaimed.

" You don't think so?"

"I _know_ so!" Hikaru got up and stormed out of the room. She stood in the doorway and grumbled," follow me." The girls obeyed, and she led them to the back of the "house". To both of the girls' surprise, there was a door.


	7. 7) Friends and Curry

**Chapter 7.**

The door was covered with ivy and moss. The girls glanced at each other as if to say _how many things are hidden in this house?_

"So…where does it go to?" Ramona asked impatiently.

"You'll see," Hikaru then pulled on the small knob and, to all their surprise and delight, opened to reveal stairs. Hikaru stomped up them quickly, and the girls followed obediently. At the top of the stairs, there was an office-looking place equipped with a desk, mini-refrigerator, and a small couch. Hikaru looked at the girls with a _and that's not all folks!_ expression on her face. She led them to a small hallway, which led to four small rooms. One was where the doctor slept, and the others were, again, unused.

"Do you see what I mean _now_? Should have heard me out," she chuckled playfully.

"Fine, but where are we gonna get the school stuff?" Rain asked sarcastically.

"I already told you-I have a job." Ramona became bored and wondered around the unexplored floor. The office room had many folder files. Ramona sighed, as there was nothing interesting inside. She walked down to the bedroom, and glanced around. She saw a small picture on his nightstand. He was dressed in casual clothing, while holding hands with a small boy. Ramona picked up the picture and looked closely at it. The boy looked at least 6, but not older than 8. She turned the picture around and removed the picture from the small, red frame. On the back of the picture it said,

_6/27/1978_

Akira went to a festival with Koto this afternoon and took this photo.

_This was only 4 years ago,_ Ramona thought. As she wondered who wrote it, Hikaru walked into the room.

"What did you find?"

"It's just an old picture-nothing huge."

"Let me see." Ramona handed the small photo to her. She examined it closely.

"Oh, I remember this. This was the last time we saw Mika. Do you remember her?" Ramona nodded, and Hikaru continued," She watched us when he took that boy to the festival. When he came back, Koto was gone…and…" she began to sob uncontrollably. Ramona tried her best to console her, but to no avail. Rain rushed in when she heard the sobs and exclaimed," What happened? Is everything alright?!" Ramona shook her head and Rain helped calm the poor girl. Rain held her tears inside, like she'd learned to so many years ago. She remembered clearly what happened: The doctor told his wife to watch us while he was gone with his son, and when he returned, he murdered her in front of them all. Smaller children were traumatized and never wanted to go to sleep at night. Elder ones consoled the poor kids. Rain was only 11 at the time, and Ramona was 10. Rain held her to her chest so she wouldn't see, but Ramona still heard the poor woman's terrified screams. Ramona quickly cleared her head of those memories. Rain continued to calm Hikaru as Ramona left the room. She decided to check on Yukia, and wanted an excuse to escape the awkward situation. She quickly found Yukia in the yard with two other children. They played Ayatori, a game where string is used to create lovely design with your fingers. Yukia performed the Navajo leap with ease. Haru had some difficulty with the move, and he guided her fingers to do it correctly. Ramona smiled at the kind action. Suddenly, Sachico ran out of the building, playing a game of tag with Kinji. She tripped on a small rock, causing her to fall and scrape her knee. Kinjii stopped and stared, panic in his eyes. Haru and Motoshi spun around, also panicked. Yukia ran over to her and helped her up. She looked up at him, terrified.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked innocently. _Don't hurt me_, the girl mouthed.

"Why would I do _that_?" Sachico looked him in his eyes and sighed.

"I dunno…." She looked away, seeming to want to drop the subject. Her knee began to bleed, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I'm Sachico. You?"

"Yukia," he replied, thinking it was better not to include his surname.

"Do you want to play with us?" Yukia smiled warmly and gestured towards Motoshi and Haru. They looked at Sachico, silently saying,_ it's ok, he's safe._ Sachico nodded and grinned. They all played together until Black Jack emerged with more paperwork in his hand and announced," It's time to go. "Yukia waved and made promises to come back soon.

As they made their way home, Black Jack smiled," Did you meet anyone today, Yukia? Yukia smiled and yelled an enthusiastic "Yes, Papa!" While Ramona quietly listened to the two speak happily. Her eyes wondered to the scars on Black Jack's arms and face. _What happened to him? Who did this? He's never hurt anyone! _Ramona thought angrily as she stared longer and longer at them.

Pinoko stood at the stove, stirring her curry anxiously. It was already dark, and Black Jack wasn't home yet. She worried someone hurt him, or even worse, took Yukia. Pinoko squished her eyes shut and pushed the thought out of her mind as she heard a knock on the door.

Pinoko abandoned the curry and sprinted towards the door. She pulled it open and saw Yukia, Black Jack, and Ramona standing there.

"Welcome home-"

Yukia cut her off and exclaimed," Mama! I made some friends today!" Pinoko let them inside and grinned," I'm happy to hear that! Who are they?"

"Their names are Motoshi, Haru, and Sachico." The name Haru, for some reason, tugged at her. Pinoko ignored it and stated," Dinner's ready, it's curry." Ramona remembered that word…._ curry_. She remembered her mother made it for her a few times when she was young. She gratefully ate every scrap of what was given to her. Nostalgia ripped at her, and Ramona indulged in every second of it. She barely remembered the taste of her mother's, but felt her mother was sitting at the table, smiling her beautiful, white smile.


	8. 8) The Real World

**Chapter 7**

Hikaru gathered pencils, paper, and textbooks as quickly as possible. As she stood in the supplies aisle, she had a wonderful idea. She grabbed what she needed and trotted over to the clothes area. She grinned as her eyes flew from cute t-shirts to boyish shorts and grabbed as much as she could hold.

The weather was ugly and wet, so everyone played inside. Sachico was grateful, since her scraped knee was still sore. She couldn't stop thinking about that boy…_what was his name? Yukio? No, Yukia. _Sachico thought. She blushed as she remembered how Yukia said,"_ I'll come back soon!"_

"Hi, Sachi," Haru interrupted her pleasant thoughts.

"My name is _Sachico_," she swiftly corrected.

"Hmph. What's wrong with you?"

"…Nothing. I-I'm just tired from the last few days."

"Well, ya don't have to force it on everyone else." Suddenly, someone yelled, "Hikaru's he-re!" and everyone crowded around the door. Hikaru carried a few large bags, so the younger ones became very excited, since they haven't ever gotten presents before. Hikaru wore a huge smile on her face, the kind that when you see it, you _know_ something great is going to happen. The younger kids gathered around her and the older ones followed.

"I've a great surprise for you all!" she announced, increasing the children's excitement.

"First, you all will be attending a private school, _and_ I got you all new clothes!" Some kids cried for pure joy, and others laughed and screamed happily. Older children tried each others' clothes on and giggled, while the younger ones wore their clothes with pride.

"Is everyone dressed?" The 16 girls and boys replied with a smiley _YES_! and Hikaru smiled," Come, let's go see the world."

Yukia stared out his bedroom window and watched his father drive away. Yukia sighed, as school started back tomorrow. The vacation was great, but now it was over. He loved school overall, but there was one boy who ruined it for him-Maki Eiiji. He was a grade older than him, and loved to terrorize younger kids, such as himself. Yukia kept it to himself, as he was afraid the bullying would become worse.

Hikaru let all the children go inside her large, silver car. She wanted to introduce them all to the real world, or at least remind them of what it's like. All of them chattered and giggled excitedly, as they got settled in. Kinji sat with Romi perched on his lap in the front seat, since there was so little room. Hikaru found it amusing when the younger kids poked their heads out of the windows to see better. They drove through the city, and parked in a small plaza. Surprisingly, everyone followed Hikaru, not even trying to roam. Kinjii gingerly carried Romi, since she wasn't fully healed yet and no one wanted to overwork her frail body. Rain glanced at Kinji and blushed a little. She had to admit, he looked cute with his new, clean clothes. People passing by looked at them and whispered. Some pointed at their white hair, while others simply stared at the sheer number of children. None of them cared. They were free, and nothing was going to change that. There was a street performer playing a happy, light song, and when Daichi heard it, she and a few other girls ran and danced to the pretty tune. They danced as if they rehearsed their routine for months. Hikaru simply stared, aghast, while the rest of the passerby clapped vigorously and begged for an encore. The street performer rewarded them a few coins from his tip jar, and everyone went on their way.

"Where did you learn to do _that_?" Hikaru whispered with sparkling eyes.

"Oh, Ai-chan went to a school of dance and taught us a little routine," Daichi replied sweetly. Hikaru showed the kids the farmers' market, clothing stores, and toy stores. At the end of the day, she decided to reward them all with a parfait. As they made their way to Tom's, the teens began to cave in to the younger one's request for being carried. When Hikaru opened the door, the familiar ring of the bell sounded. Kumiko greeted them with a warm _"Welcome!_". Hikaru looked into Kumiko's eyes and winked. Kumiko looked at her for a moment, then remembered something and nodded. With all the children, they filled up most of the tables in the small cafe. Hikaru plopped down next to Black Jack and smiled.

"Hey. Remember me?" Black Jack looked at her closely and his eyes lit up with realization.

"Hikaru?"

"The one and only. How're things?"

"Eh, alright," he debated telling her about the file.

"D'you know where Ramona is?" Hikaru asked, as she'd wanted to take her with them.

"At my place."

"Did you bring Yukia with you?" Sachico broke in. Black Jack chuckled and replied, "No, but we'll visit you tomorrow, ok?" She nodded and ran back to her table.

"I see they got some new clothes."

"Hehe, I picked them out-I think they're cute." He nodded, still smiling.

"Have you seen the second floor yet?"

"Nope. I didn't even know there was one." Kumiko took everyone's orders and served them with a smile. The smaller kids asked for huge parfaits, while the teens ordered small, modest parfaits. When they were all finished, Hikaru was the last to get up. Kumiko turned to her and whispered a heartfelt _"Thank you._"


	9. 9) Throwing Punches

**Chapter 8.**

For the next few days, Ramona stayed at Black Jack's house. She soon discovered he wasn't home often. Things were lonely with the doctor away, especially when he was with a patient. One day, Ramona followed Yukia to school, just to see where he goes during the day. He walked slowly, hesitation evident in his small steps. Ramona followed at a distance and watched intently. A boy that looked a bit older than Yukia appeared and trotted over to him. He smiled, and punched him in the stomach. Yukia fell over and dropped all his books. Ramona burned with pure rage and hate as the boy laughed at Yukia. She couldn't take it anymore. Ramona ran over to the boy and couldn't control herself. She punched, kicked, and spit at the boy.

When Ramona finished, she whispered in his ear," If you ever hurt anyone again, expect to see me, got it?" He nodded and Ramona spit on him one last looked at Yukia, who was still writhing in pain.

"Are you gonna be alright?" she asked. Yukia shook his head and Ramona picked him up along with his books and carried him home. Unfortunately, Black Jack wasn't home, and Pinoko was shopping. Ramona sighed angrily, then looked at Yukia. He was still in a lot of pain, and was crying.

"Get…uncle…" he sobbed.

"How? Who is he?" Ramona asked franticly.

"….Kiriko…" he replied hoarsely. Ramona knew better than to move him, so she left and began to run. She overheard Black Jack and Pinoko talking about , and when she asked them about him, they mentioned him living on the beach below. She jumped from rock to rock, scraping her bare feet. She slid and fell a few times, but she didn't care. When she reached his house, Ramona knocked and knocked on the door.

"What d'ya want?" a hoarse voice greeted her as the door opened. A man with an eye patch and white hair stared at her. In his left hand, he held a half smoked cigarette, which she had never seen gasped a little, then exclaimed," Someone hit Yukia and he's hurt! I don't know what to do, and Black Jack's not home and Pinoko's gone…and, and!"

"Calm down, sweetheart. I'm commin'."

Ramona remembered all the horrible times when she was called sweetheart and screamed," DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!"

The man chuckled, and replied," Alright….sweetheart." She decided this argument would have to wait for a different time, and dashed home. Yukia was still crying, but it was softer than earlier. Kiriko looked at Ramona and frowned.

"How long has he been like this?"

"Erm…50 minutes?" Ramona stammered, unsure. Ramona anxiously watched as Kiriko examined Yukia. He stayed silent as he worked, increasing the tension.

"Does this hurt?" he asked sweetly to Yukia as he pressed on the boy's small stomach. When he finished, he turned to Ramona and sighed," He has a ruptured spleen. If I don't operate now, he'll die."

"What are you just standing there for?! Help him!" Ramona yelled.

"What ever you wish, sweetheart."

Ramona waited for hours for him to finish. After around two hours in, Pinoko came home and, when she noticed how quiet it was, she confronted Ramona. She told her the whole story.

"Is Kiriko operating alone?!" Pinoko fretted. Ramona nodded, and Pinoko hurriedly pulled on her scrubs and went into the operating room.

"Kiriko!" Pinoko started," Why didn't you call me?!" Kiriko simply shrugged, picking up a pair of forceps.

"That's what assistants are for, ya know," she commented angrily. Though she didn't want to admit it, she liked Kiriko's no bullshit attitude. He was always to the "point" with things and didn't care what people thought about him. She remembered her miscarriage and sighed heavily. Why was it always the innocent ones that were punished?

Ramona bit her nails down to the cuticles. They have been in there for 3 hours now, and they were pushing on a fourth. Yukia didn't deserve this. He never hurt a soul. He was innocent. Just like her. Ramona tried not to think about the situation the sweet little boy was in, yet her mind wouldn't stop reminding her of it. All of the sudden, the red operation light turned off and Kiriko left the operating room.

Ramona jumped up and asked quickly,"Is he alright?"

"He'll recover in a few days. I'll let Black Jack take over when he returns."

"He won't be home for days!"

"That's my point." Kiriko laughed and left Ramona with her thoughts.

_"Rain, I need to tell you something."_

_"What is it?"_

_"You can't tell a soul, okay?"_

_"Alright. You know I'm not like that, Ramona."_

_"I-I'm going to escape."_

_"What?! How?"_

_"I can't tell you."_

_"Ramona, don't do this! It's too risky; he might kill you!"_

_"I don't care! Either way, I will be rid of his….experiments."_

_"It's a cruel world out there."_

_"Rain, I can't take it anymore! What don't you understand about that? Do you want me to end up like Aiko?" Aiko was a girl who was injected with a type of acid, which killed her slowly and painfully. As she died, the doctor tested a new type of plastic surgery on her face, which horribly disfigured her._

_"You know I want the best for all of us here! That's why I want you to stay here!" Ramona held back tears. She knew this idea of a free life was silly and childish, but there was still a small chance for her to live it. _

_"Ramona, the chance is too slim for you to take. Don't do it."_

_"I love you, but you have to trust me like I've trusted you all these years. I can do this."_

_"…I love you, too!" They both sobbed in each other's arms. The next day, Ramona would start her long journey to the new life everyone in the "house" merely dreamed of: A free life._


	10. 10) Happy Awakenings

**Chapter 10**.

Yukia slept for a long time. Ramona sat at his bedside and watched him breathe quietly. She remembered doing this while she lived in the "house" when someone was close to death. In the "house", it was a huge sign of affection to watch someone sleep after an experiment. Out of nowhere, Ramona heard a small knock on the door, but kept staring at the small boy.

"Ummm…I-Is Yukia there?" a small girl's voice stammered.  
>"…Yes, but he's sleeping right now. It would be better if you came back later," Pinoko stated.<p>

"Please, let me see him!" The girl pleaded.

"….alright, but don't disturb him. He needs to rest," Pinoko put a finger to her lips.

"I understand," the girl whispered. Pinoko led her to Yukia's room. The door was already open, so she invited herself in.

"Ramona," she whispered when Pinoko was gone," Is he gonna be okay?"

"Sachico…How did you know Yukia was hurt?"

"…You won't believe me." Sachico looked at her tiny toes.

"Oh, please! I've seen my share of crazy things. I'll believe you, I promise."

"….O-Okay. I saw…something. It was Yukia, saying to come see him and that he missed me. When I tried to talk to him…h-he disappeared. After that, I felt like if I didn't, I would never see him again...so... " Ramona remembered when she saw Rain in her vision and sighed. It didn't make sense. There was no way Sachico would have known about that morning. Unless, she was there, which she definitely wasn't. At the same time, Ramona wondered why she could've known to go back "home" to help find Romi. Yukia began to open his big, young eyes.

"….Papa?" he rasped hoarsely.

"No, he's not here right now," Ramona cooed.

"Oh…" the boy sighed, disappointed.

"I'm here, Yukia!" Sachico whispered sweetly.

"S-Sachico?"

"It's me! Listen, you need to get better soon!"

"…Why?"

"There's gonna be a festival soon! I wanna go with you, so you need to get healed quickly!"

"Uncle says I'll be okay in a few days, so-"

"The festival starts in a week. Promise me you'll come if you get better!"

"I promise I'll go to the festival if I get better," he promised.

"It's a promise, then! Now, rest!" Sachico gestured to the bed and he obeyed. Sachico fell asleep on Ramona's lap, and eventually, Ramona gave in and nodded off as well. Pinoko peeked in the small room and smiled. She switched off the light and shut the door quietly. To her surprise, Kiriko was standing in the kitchen, munching on an apple that Pinoko bought from the store that morning.

"What are you doing here? You know he's resting!"

He shrugged and said," I had nothing better to do, so I wanted to see how long it would take you to find out I was here. A while, surprisingly." He took another bite of the bright red apple. Pinoko was very annoyed at this point, but couldn't think of what to say. She face palmed, and sighed," "Please, leave me alone today. I can't deal with this." She gestured at Kiriko and he giggled.

"What is there to deal with?" Pinoko shook her head and picked up the laundry. She constantly reminded herself Kiriko was part of the family now, and she had to put up with him. Some days, she really didn't want him in the house while she did the daily chores. As she hung the damp clothes, she felt Kiriko's stare burning into her.

"…What?" she asked, exasperated.

"Who are those girls?"

Pinoko sighed heavily and replied," They're his friends."

"…And?"

"Their names are Ramona and Sachico."

"Hm. That big one's a nasty, isn't she?"

"No! Why would you think that?"

"No reason…"

After 3 days, Black Jack returned home. By this time, Yukia was almost completely healed, and very excited for his father to be home again. Ramona decided it was time to check in on the "house", but instead of walking, Ramona ran. It wasn't an urgent, quick sprint, but a fun, happy run. All the kids were outside dancing, playing, and chatting happily. Hikaru strolled around, supervising everyone. She noticed Ramona and trotted over to her.

"I have a present for you!"

"Me? What for?"

"…For being you." Ramona followed Hikaru, curiosity and anticipation growing in her chest. She noticed all the rooms were equipped with at least a bed, but sometimes having a small desk or a nightstand. Hikaru led her to the last room, and went inside. It looked like all the others, yet something felt…different.

"You can share this room with Rain. Well, if you want." Ramona felt so happy, she began to cry.

"Stop. You've had enough tears to last a lifetime." Hikaru dried the girl's tears with her hand.

"I still have one more thing for you." She pulled out two fashionable outfits from the small dresser by the bed and grinned.

"These are for you. Try them on!" Ramona chose the green T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She saw other girls wear those with ease, but discovered the jeans weren't as comfy as other girls portrayed them. She took them off and replaced them with a white pleated skirt, but something was still missing. Ramona noticed a long, green scarf hanging on the doorknob. She smiled and draped it around her neck a few times, adjusting the look and feel of it. She walked into the hall and triumphantly showed Hikaru her outfit.

"Oh, that scarf suits you!" In reality, the scarf belonged to Hikaru, but she saw how much Ramona enjoyed it and let her keep it. Hikaru sighed, as Ramona reminded her of another girl she knew, so many years ago…


	11. 11) A Girl I Used to Know

**Chapter 11**

_It was lonely at her uncle's house, but she had to stay. She was told he was the only family she had left, but that was only partly true. She had an aunt, well, step-aunt. She was the meanest woman in the world to Hikaru. She would overwork and beat her, without remorse. Since the house was far away from civilization, no one ever heard her screams or cries for help. She missed Kuro'o, but she knew she'd never see him again. Oh, if only she could be blissfully ignorant in the hospital! She wouldn't give up. No matter what happened, they all made a promise to become a great doctor one day. Hikaru was smart, so she made a plan: She put herself up for adoption. She watched her uncle sign many checks for her aunt, so she could fake his signature easily. She was quickly adopted, and, unexpectedly, her uncle didn't put up a fight. Her new father was named Akira, and was apparently a doctor. Hikaru was delighted to hear this, but it soon became a horrible nightmare. He treated her much worse than her aunt ever would; yet told her he loved her. Soon, he kidnapped other girls. Then, he abducted boys. He experimented on them constantly with various operations and injections. One day, Hikaru simply couldn't take it anymore. She sneaked out and escaped one night, not caring whether she lived or died. She was determined to survive once she was free. She never gave up on the constant war in her mind and body, though she considered it a few times. She lived in a homeless shelter for a few months, then got a job and moved to a small flat. She then finished high school and went to medical school. After that, she fulfilled her promise and became one of the best doctors in the country. Suddenly, she lost her license due to her for forgetting to document correctly on one of her patients. Though she lost her license, people still sought her. People called her "Black Spade" and she kept her hair short and spiky. People continued to ask her to do operations, and she agreed. People recommended her under the table, as if she was a drug that had to be kept a secret. She still remembered Kuro'o throughout all her suffering. She'd heard through hushed whispers that Kuro'o became the rumored "Black Jack". She tried to find him, but her efforts were futile. She gave up, and became depressed, even growing her hair out. Hikaru began to drink, and no one was there to stop her. Until one day. She had a vision: A girl with navy blue hair stabbed the man who ruined so many lives: Akira. Hikaru couldn't believe her eyes at first, but soon discovered it was a reality. She rushed down to the "house" as she had named it as a child. She found all of his patients, although bloody, happy and triumphant. They killed him. He was gone….forever._

"Have you heard? There's going to be a festival this week!" Ramona exclaimed.

"Wha-? Oh, I didn't hear about that…festival."

"Can we all go, Hikaru?" Daichi asked, as innocently as she could.

"Hmmm…I'll think about it," Hikaru replied; although she knew she would definitely take them all-how could she not? She showed Ramona the city like she did for the others. Unlike them, Ramona asked questions and observed numerous things. Stores for some reason awed her. Ramona didn't stay for a parfait, however. She simply stated," I have to go," and left abruptly. Hikaru didn't mind, but Black Jack wasn't at Tom's that day either. She sighed a little as she sipped her coffee. She never really liked cream or sugar in it, and drank it black. When Hikaru finished she got up and began walking towards the door.

"Thank you!" Kumiko smiled, speaking directly at Hikaru.

"…Why do you say that? He's dead!"

"Yes, but…you helped him enjoy his life. That's all I ever wanted for him."

"Hmph. Say what you will, but I still wasn't successful. I didn't save him!"

"…Well, sometimes it doesn't matter how long you live, as long as you live a happy life, right?"

"Whatever." Hikaru mumbled as she left. Though it was warm, she shivered a little. Hikaru knew something was wrong.

Black Jack rushed over to his recovering son. He was nearly recovered, but he examined him just in case. Black Jack wasn't thrilled when he heard Kiriko operated on his son, but Yukia was alive, and that's all that mattered. The last time he saw Yukia, he was happy and active. Now, he was incurious and emotionless. He seemed like a totally different boy, and Black Jack missed the happy child that was his son. Yukia didn't even want to interact with anyone anymore. Ramona wasn't even there much. When it was time for Yukia to return to school, he was very resistant. Black Jack didn't know about the boy who caused Yukia's injury, so he had no clue why Yukia was acting that way. When Ramona and Sachico visited, they didn't say a word about it. Yukia seemed to like their presence. Ramona seemed to help him with his depression phase, but only to a small extent. The only question Black Jack asked himself was _Why?_


	12. 12) Tearing Up

**Chapter 12**

The answer came sooner than Black Jack thought when he confronted Ramona. She confessed to what she did to the bully, and repeated over and over how sorry she was. Black Jack acted upset, but he was actually a little glad. It was his son, after all who was injured. The boy, Eijii, was suspended on top of the beating he received. Black Jack kept his satisfaction to himself, not wanting to upset anyone. When Pinoko heard the story, she smiled a little, remembering when she trained Sharaku to be tougher. She kept in touch with him, even when everything seemed like it was falling apart.

Ramona felt horrible for the next few days. She thought Black Jack, the closest thing to a father she'd ever had, was mad at her. The worst part was, she knew it wasn't her fault. Not at all. Maybe it was her inner monster, or maybe, something worse. Ramona felt as if she wasn't controlling her own body…it was as if she was a remote controlled human. She still kept an eye on Yukia as he made his way to school. Black Jack drove him to school on days that he could, which was, strangely, often. Ramona envied Yukia's happy, young life. Sure, he had it rough for a while, but that time was short. She wished so very badly to be "normal". The problem is, she didn't know what "normal" was. Was it being able to smile all the time? Being nice? Never telling a lie? What was it that made others "normal"? Hikaru treated everyone as if they were "normal", but secretly, Ramona knew they weren't at all. That much was blatantly obvious. People weren't born with white hair, or scars, or a horrible fear of waking up on an operating table. Ramona sat on her new bed and cried.

Rain entered the room suddenly, and quietly asked," What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Everything. Nothing is….right! Rain, tell me why I'm alive!"

"…Ramona, don't talk like that. You know everyone has their purpose in life. Do you remember when I told you that?"

"I don't care! Stop treating me like I'm a baby!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The way you always tell me everything's gonna be alright, it's not true!"

"Ramona, Look around you! Isn't this what we dreamed for as kids?"

"No. I dreamed I would be returned to my parents…but…" her voice faltered and she wept silently. Rain could hardly hold in her tears. Not tears for Ramona, nor herself, but for all the years she held in those tears. She sobbed heavily. Ramona looked at Rain, shocked. Rain never cried; no matter what. Ramona stopped crying out of pure shock at the pitiful cries that escaped Rain's throat.

_"…Okaasan?" Rain breathed, unsure if the woman on the floor was truly her. She didn't reply. _

_"Okaasan!" Rain screamed, knowing for sure it was her. _

_"…Oh, no no no….." a deep voice whispered._

_"Did… you…see?" Rain could only look up in fear at the shadowy man._

_"No, don't!" she screamed, sprinting towards the door of her small house. He wasn't too far behind her. She not only heard the footsteps following her, but she felt them, too. The little girl ran as fast as her legs would carry her-anything to get away from the man. She reached the door. As long as she could get out….the door was locked from the outside. _

_"Please, please!" she begged, straining her arms from pulling at the doorknob. She was trapped. No one could save her. The man ran towards Rain, a wicked smile spread across his face. _

_"D-don't hurt me!" she pleaded, hoping with all her heart he wouldn't harm her as he did her mother._

_He stopped a few feet away from the scared little girl." Fine. I won't kill you. I'll spare your little, worthless life." He pressed a sharpened knife against her throat," If you do everything I say." The girl nodded vigorously through her sobs._

_"Good girl. Give me your arm." Rain obeyed, not wanting to die early. He injected her with something, and she suddenly felt tired._

_"You and me are gonna get along just fine…" his voice faded away with the rest of the world._

_Rain finished crying, and looked around the room. A few people gathered to see the strange sight._

"R-Rain?" Daichi breathed, concerned.

"…I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she announced coldly. Ramona seemed to be looking somewhere far away as Rain exited the room. Kinji and Daichi stared at Ramona expectantly. She snapped back to reality and sighed. She too left the room. She decided to visit Yukia, since she hasn't seen him and she wanted to escape the awkward situation. Ramona took her time when she walked to his house, as she wanted to feel the chilly air against her skin. She smiled sweetly as she approached the small house. The salty breeze swept her skirt and scarf softly. Ramona knocked on the door and waited. Instead of Pinoko, Ramona was greeted with Kiriko. She sighed a little, as she hated the way he talked to her. He loved to tease and taunt her, and he loved to see her reaction.

"What do you want, sweetheart?" he asked, a smile crossing his face.

"I came to visit Yukia, eye patch." Ramona replied, unable to come up with anything better. He opened the door a little wider and she went inside. Kiriko slammed her long scarf in the door, choking her a little. Ramona clenched her fists tightly, wanting to hit him so badly. She took a deep breath, and took off her scarf. Ramona made her way to Yukia's room, leaving the scarf on the floor. Yukia wasn't too excited to see her. He sat on his bed and barely spoke.

"Are you okay?" Ramona inquired softly.

"…I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not…"

"Stop it!" She shouted. Yukia looked up from his book, having a new, colder look in his eyes, like his father.

"What am I doing?"

"You….You're all depressed and quiet! Where did the old Yukia go?"

"….I-I don't know," Yukia began to cry. He hugged Ramona and sobbed, "Gomenasai!"

"Stop crying," Ramona ordered, tipping the boy's chin up," You've had too many tears in your life already." She dried his tears sweetly, just like how Rain did. Yukia obeyed, his big eyes still shiny.

"Did you see what I did?" Ramona asked playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"…No."

Ramona grinned and stated,"All I'm gonna say is Eijii won't be messing with _anyone_ anymore."


	13. 13) Reunited

**Chapter 13**

Yukia walked to school a bit faster than usual. For the first time in a while, he was actually excited to go to school. In his book bag, he put a book he secretly borrowed from his father. He wasn't a huge fan of the gory pictures, but he liked to try and read it anyway. Yukia also carried a small book his father gave him for his 5th birthday. Yukia remembered it clearly: At the second day at the Hazama house, Black Jack announced it was Yukia's birthday. He never had a proper "birthday party", so it all was very new to him. When he arrived to his classroom, Eijii avoided eye-contact. Now, it was him that was scared of Yukia. Yukia smiled devilishly, making the boy squirm. Though he usually never acted this way, he enjoyed it. It reminded him of how his uncle, Kiriko, treated Black Jack all the time. His teacher smiled warmly and greeted him with a," Welcome Back!" and Yukia simply smiled and nodded politely. Suddenly, someone new walked into the room. Yukia's jaw dropped when he saw her.

_A small child played innocently at the park. She played tag with the other children, all the while laughing happily. Why would he pick her? What was so special? It was simple: she was new. His other patients have grown old and worn, resembling a shirt. Nice and clean at first, but after a while, it becomes damaged and can't be seen in public. There was no easy way to do this; He had to be quick, yet smart. He couldn't sneak up and grab her- that would be too obvious. He was patient. She abruptly left to use the restroom; now he has his chance. Her long, blonde hair reflected beautifully against the sun, while her dazzling brown eyes shone like bright stars in the night sky. He was excited for the "catch" as he liked to call it. Her innocent eyes would glaze over in fear as she tried so desperately to escape. His would easily overcome her strength, and she would be his. Forever. He smiled at the thought._

_ "I'll be back soon, guys!" Sachico shouted as she made her way to the restrooms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man. She glanced over at him and saw he was staring at her intently. She smiled and waved and he nodded. Her pink dress matched her hair ribbon, which flowed behind her delicately. She felt something burning into her young soul, an indescribable feeling. She quickly used the restroom, feeling a little scared. She opened the door to exit, but something blocked the light from the outside world. She looked up and saw the man. _

_Fear gripped at her heart as she said," Excuse me, mister."_

_ "You won't be going anywhere…for a while," the man rasped, as he looked into her scared eyes._

_ "W-what do you mean?" she asked innocently. He simply replied with a smile and shoved a cloth against her tiny face._

_ "N-No! Please!" she plead, muffled by the small handkerchief. She fell to her knees and her world went black. The next time she opened her eyes, her old life was dead and gone._

The girl looked around the room shyly, her blonde hair flowing down to her back. Yukia could only stare, dumbfounded. She noticed him, and grinned her sweet, loving grin.

"Yukia!" she cried, running to him. He dropped everything he was doing and ran to her. They embraced like old lovers, and the class clapped and laughed.

"I missed you!" he exclaimed lovingly.

"Rain said I couldn't visit you for a while, because you needed to rest."

"That's okay,"Yukia smiled," I can't believe you're here!"

"Me neither! Hikaru lied to me! Hmph, she said noone could go to school, but here I am!"

"Sit by me, okay?" Yukia smiled. Sachico nodded and walked away. It was no secret-Yukia _loved_ Sachico. Not a romantic love, but a young, brother-sister type of love. He loved to see her smile, hear her laugh, and feel her touch. There was no possible way to describe the affection he felt for her.

Through the rainy, wet window, Ramona could see Black Jack's car pull up. He hadn't visited in a week, not that she really cared if he was there or not. He usually just examined a few children, or wondered around aimlessly. Frankly, Ramona loved to see the expression on his scarred face when he discovers something fantastic. This wasn't often, but she intently stared at him when it did. She would never forget when she showed him the second floor; he almost fainted! Ramona was grateful that he hadn't contacted the authorities yet. They all begged him not to, because they knew they would be taken away and separated. Everyone bonded heavily for the years that they were caged together in the small room. She stared at him and sighed. She could tell something interesting happened by the expression on Black Jack's face.


	14. 14) New Things

**Chapter 14**

Rain greeted the doctor first, which wasn't unusual. Her expression turned from happiness to extreme joy. She nodded a few times, hastily made her way inside, and Black Jack followed. Ramona quickly and quietly ran to the first floor. She liked to stay upstairs, since it was much quieter than it was downstairs. She peered around the corner where Rain and Black Jack chatted. Rain wore a huge smile as she talked. Ramona strained her ears, yet only heard bits and pieces of what they said.

"….Sachico…..school today …." Ramona sighed, since Rain was only re-telling the events of that morning. Sachico returned to elementary school, since she was so young. She was accepted to the same school as Yukia, and was ecstatic about that. Ramona was happy for them both, but had a twinge of envy when she announced it to everyone. All she wanted was to be like everyone else-to be "normal". Sachico and a few other kids got to experience this fantasy, which a few others were jealous about as well.

"I deserve to go to public school!" Daichi cried.

"How come we can't go?" Kinji exclaimed. Rain tried to explain the reasons to everyone, but no one listened. They made their own conclusions as Rain simply gave up and left the room. Ramona kept her feelings about it to herself. She sketched on a plain, white piece of paper. Soon, pencil marks became grass, which became grassy hills. A smile spread across Ramona's face as she sketched the beautiful landscape. She drew butterflies and flowers, which she could only dream of as a child. Dreaming was a way to cope with all the pain for everyone. Suddenly, an old lullaby slipped its way into Ramona's mind:

"_Three red seeds, two blue seeds, how many white seeds?_

_ Six white seeds five red seeds, how many blue seeds?_

_Sleep now, my sweet darling. San Merida, San Merida._

An owl is hooting at your beloved San Merida forest…" who sang that song to her? The question hung in her mind for a moment, and she remembered who it was.

A sigh escaped Hikaru's throat. The whether was bad enough, and now she couldn't find her patient's address. She was known as "Black Spade" by some, and "evil" by others. These comments usually didn't matter to her, but on days like these, they got to her. What does "Black Spade" even mean? She didn't have dark skin, and she wasn't a gambler. How could someone come up with that nickname for her? Hikaru also didn't understand the adjective "evil". Sure, she didn't have a license, but she never committed murder! Half an hour passed until she reached her destination. Suddenly, she realized she forgot his medical record in her car. It was too late to turn back now, as she already rung their doorbell, and it would be rude to up and leave before she was greeted.

Children usually don't accept new things, but Sachico was a exception. Almost everyone was her friend, excluding Eijii. He shied away from her, since she had such a huge connection to Yukia. Sachico loved the attention she got, even seeking it. She almost didn't want to leave when the day was over. Because of their age, there was a large mess to clean, so everyone stayed a little longer than usual to get everything tidy for the next day. Yukia walked her home as the sky began to darken.

"Do you like school so far?" Yukia asked.

"I love it! I wish it would be longer, though."

"You'll change your mind after a while, I promise."

"Bet'cha I wont."

"Hehe, I know you will.  
>"How do you know, then?"<p>

"Because I do."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Ugh, are we almost the-ere?" Sachico complained. Yukia nodded, knowing the feeling all too well of impatience to tell his parents something amazing that happened that day. He ran home sometimes. The thought brought a wonderful idea into Yukia's mind.

"Do you wanna race?" He asked playfully.

"Sure!"

"1,2,3…GO!" Yukia exclaimed, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Unexpectedly, Sachico was in front of him, not even slowing down a little. Yukia's chest began to hurt, but he ignored it. All he wanted right now was to win the race. Sachico abruptly tripped on a rock that jutted out of the ground and fell. Since she was moving so quickly, she slid a little on the pavement. Yukia stopped and stared down at her. She scraped her knees and arm badly, causing them to bleed. She stared down at her wounds in shock, and her eyes filled up with tears.

"It's okay, you're fine…" Yukia assured her, similarly to the way his father comforted Ramona when he found her. He tried to pick her up, and succeeded. Since they were closer to his house, Yukia decided it was best for his father to help his friend. Sachico kept weeping, out of fear and pain. She knew Black Jack wasn't mean-but she kept in mind he was a doctor, just like Akira. She shuddered at the thought of being cut open again. They reached Yukia's house shortly, all the while fear and anticipation ripped at Sachico's insides. She squished her blue eyes shut and snuggled her face into Yukia's shirt.

He comforted her some more as he entered his house, announcing," I'm home!" Pinoko emerged from the kitchen to greet him. Her face was filled with shock when she noticed the small girl Yukia held. _Not another one!_ She thought with a heavy sigh.

"Chen-chei!" she yelled. Black Jack walked into the room and saw Yukia. He smiled a little, remembering when he'd found Ramona.

"Who's this?" He asked, gesturing towards the girl. She clutched Yukia's clothes.

"Sachico, remember?" Yukia replied. Black Jack nodded, and gently took her in his arms. Sachico didn't open her eyes, afraid of what she might see.


	15. 15) School Time!

**Chapter 15**

"You don't have to be so scared," Yukia cooed. Sachico curled into a tight ball.

"…Why don't you trust me?" Sachico opened her eyes a little and looked at Black Jack, but didn't move. His brown eyes were kind and soft, reminding her of Rain's green eyes.

"Can I at least see it?" he asked sweetly. Sachico pondered for a second, before uncurling herself.

Yukia watched intently, taking mental notes of what his father did. Sachico stared at him, terror still in her eyes. She watched him just to make sure he wasn't doing anything questionable. Black Jack got up abruptly, and Sachico turned her head to Yukia as soon as Black Jack was hearing distance away

"What's gonna happen?" she whispered quickly.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Yukia assured as he grasped her hand. Black Jack returned with a few things, which Sachico couldn't recognize. She tensed as she thought about what he might do to her. Yukia squeezed her hand. Yukia's father cleaned the girl's wounds quickly. She flinched a little, but otherwise didn't move.

"I'm done. Be careful, ok?"

"Arigatou gozaimasu," she smiled, gaining a new trust for the young doctor. She walked home alone, although it was dark. Rain rushed out of the door, embracing Sachico.

"Don't ever stay out late like that again! We were worried sick! It's way past your bedtime!" Rain scolded Sachico for what felt like hours. Sachico slept easy that night, though she could hardly wait to return to school the next day.

The weather was sunny that day, which was Ramona's type of weather. Hikaru came to begin lessons. She was excited for the lessons, since she never went to a proper school since 1st grade.

"Alright, everyone! Let's get started by getting into groups. Everyone that came here in elementary school, go to this corner. Everyone in middle school, over here. Finally, everyone in high school, over there," Hikaru ordered. Everyone split up, albeit not quietly. Ramona was with a few younger children, and her face burned with shame of not being educated.

"Good. In a moment, I'll pass out textbooks to each group. I'm confident that the oldest children can teach themselves, so I will help the elementary students," she continued," Now, who would like to pass out elementary textbooks?" A few hands popped up, while others simply stared blankly.

"Haru, you can do it," Hikaru smiled, handing her a stack of textbooks. Haru had an excited grin as she distributed the books. Hikaru did this with all the supplies, which gave everyone a chance to so something.

When everything was distributed, Hikaru said,"Everyone turn to page 5 in your textbooks and begin to read. After you read section 1, answer the questions on the paper you were provided with. Any questions?" no one raised their hands, "Good. You may begin now." Everyone got to work. Ramona struggled a little with some words. She barely knew how to read, so longer words like _would_ or_ should_. She barely understood what she was reading, so the questions at the end were very difficult, even impossible.

"…H-Hikaru? I need some help…" Ramona stuttered shyly.

"What is it?"

"I-I can't read it very well," Ramona stated, her voice saturated with shame.  
>"That's okay! I'll read it with you," Hikaru bent down and pointed to each word as she read. The lessons were finished in a few hours, and was a great success. Everyone returned home from school on time, so everyone shared their day as they ate supper that evening. Ramona and Rain weren't in the same groups, so they taught each other what they learned that day. Sometimes, it seemed like they were a normal family. Ramona imagined that Hikaru was the mother, and everyone was related. That night, no one slept until late. They quietly chatted in bed for hours, so happy to be getting an education. This, of course, included Ramona and Rain, since they shared a room.<p>

"What did you think about school?" Rain started.

"I liked it, but at the same time, it was difficult."

"Same here. Everything's harder once you stop doing it for a while. It's like when a toddler stops walking; they'll have to re-learn everything they learned," Rain murmured.

"Yeah. What do you plan on becoming when you're older?"

"Hm…I would like to be a nurse in a rehab center, "

"What?! Why that of all the jobs you could pick?"

"I like helping people. I like to see that look of determination on people's faces. I guess it's just one of my quirks," Rain replied slowly,

"No, it's good to like to help people. Great people like to help people," Ramona babbled.

"Like who?"

"Plenty of people! Oooh, like Kinji!" The mention of Kinji made Rain blush.

"Kinji and Ra-ain sittin' in a tree~" Ramona taunted in a sing-song voice.

"Stop it!" Rain hissed.

"Alright, alright. I know it's _really_ Motoshi that you like!" Ramona chirped.

"That's not true!"

"Oh, okay. I see how it is."

"I'm going to sleep!" Rain moaned.

"Good night!" Ramona yawned, pulling the covers over her head.


	16. 16) Memories

**Chapter 16**

As usual, Rain was the first to wake up. She didn't bother to wake Ramona, since she was a hard sleeper and would get mad if she was waken up anyway. She sighed a little, realizing no one else was awake. She hated when this happened, though it was often. She lay back down and closed her eyes. She let her mind wonder for a while. Interesting thoughts weren't common, so mornings like these were particularly boring. Rain couldn't take the horrible boredom anymore. She creeped out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen. She opened a cabinet and glanced around. A bag of chips lay vacantly in the corner. Rain grinned a little, and happily seized the bag. She opened it as quietly as she could, as she felt like she wasn't alone.

"Aha! So it's you who's been eating all the snacks!" Someone exclaimed as others giggled and whispered.

"Huh? No, I…"

"We all know what you've been doing in the mornings, so time to pay up!" Kinji continued.

"Yeah! So that means you owe us 2000 yen worth of snacks!" Haru chimed in.

"Now, now. Let's be fair. Rain, it is your duty to buy groceries for us from now to…erm…" Ramona suggested.

"Forever!" Sachico yelled.

"No. Only for a few weeks, say 3."

"Agreed!" everyone chirped.

"I guess I deserve that…" Rain sighed. As it turned out, it was 9:28 AM, which meant everyone was late for school. Hikaru had to walk them to school because of their tardiness. Unfortunately, this delayed home school lessons by a while.

"I wonder when Hikaru will come home…" Ramona moaned.

"Hmph. Someone needs to learn a little something about patience," Motoshi mumbled.

"What was that?" Ramona hissed menacingly.

"N-nothing!" he cried. Hikaru burst through the door, smiling sweetly.

"Everyone, meet me in the classroom," she asserted. They all noticed Hikaru's presence quickly and did as she asked.

The room was just as they left it. Ramona sat where she did yesterday, which was much less embarrassing now that she'd gotten used to everyone being shorter than herself. That day was like the day before, except for one thing-Daichi seemed upset. She didn't talk to anyone and worked slowly. When anyone tried to approach her, she ignored them. Something was bothering her badly, which made people curious.

The world seemed to spin a little slower this day each year; it was almost like a dreaded holiday. Every year it came, and every year Daichi sulked. It was her brother's birthday. The weather was sunny and nice; a great reflection of this day, Daichi thought. She would never forget what happened on this same day, only 5 years ago.

_ "Onee-chan! Let's go-oo!" Katsuo exclaimed, bouncing on his older sister's bed._

_ "Alright! I'm up!" She moaned. He did this routine every year: he would wake up really early, and then pester everyone about the special day until they gave in and gave him his gifts. Daichi pretended to be annoyed by this, but in reality, she loved it. She wasn't sure why, but it was pleasing to wake to her brother jumping on her bed. That day, they planned a special party at the local park. Katsuo suggested it, of course. After breakfast, everyone headed down to the park. He played with his friends as they arrived, and Daichi watched._

_ "Cute, aren't they?" a voice grumbled softly._

_ "Um…yeah," Daichi replied, a little shocked._

_ "You're cute, too. It'd be a shame if anything happened to you…_

_ "Get away from me, freak!" Daichi yelled, running towards her parents as the strange man stared at her. Her brother was climbing on a rope jungle gym, as the horrible sound ripped through the morning air. A scream. A huge fire started at the base of the jungle gym. Katsuo looked at the flames in terror, unsure what to do._

_ "Jump, Katsuo!" Daichi screamed instinctively. He jumped. What happened next would change her life forever. He fell. The flames consumed the poor child as he screamed, and Daichi was grabbed, and felt something poke into her flesh. She couldn't move. She couldn't scream. She could only succumb to the fatigue and sleep. _

Daichi let out a sigh. Ramona glanced at her with sympathy, although Daichi knew she could never dream of the pain she went through. She let her head drop….what's this? She didn't recognize the wetness that seeped out of her eyes. Tears? No way; she hasn't cried in such a long time-it's not time to start now. Ramona was still looking at her, no, staring at her. Why? What was so interesting about her? The girl still kept looking for some reason. She let out another sigh. Daichi was never too fond of Ramona, but still was kind to her.

Hikaru interrupted both of their thoughts by asking," Are we working _hard_ or _hardly_ working, girls?" A few kids giggled.

"Working hard!" they both replied.

"Good. Look the part," Hikaru smiled. They both nodded and got back to work.


	17. 17) In Their Likeness

**Chapter 17**

A few weeks passed with the same routine of wake up, go to school, come home, eat dinner, and sleep. Everyone enjoyed this simple routine, as it was the closest they would ever get to "normal". They didn't think of it in that way. They simply smiled and said," Life goes on." A little before lessons began, Hikaru was supervising Haru and a few other kids playing together. The sun came out for the first time in days, so she decided to do something special for everyone.

She gathered seemingly everybody up and announced," You've all been working so hard for the past few days, so I think it's time to go out again, don't you think?"

Everyone smiled and exclaimed,_" Yes!"_ As Ramona was sleeping, she was the last to hear the news of another outing, so she was quite annoyed while everyone else scrambled to get ready, waking her up.

"What's goin' on?" She asked groggily.

"You don't know?"

"You'll see." As these were the only replies Ramona got, she sighed out of frustration. Not wanting to miss anything important that was happening, she slipped on her skirt, shirt, and, of course, her scarf. The plain, green scarf had become a staple for Ramona. She wore it everywhere. Eventually, Ramona figured out what was happening. They bunched in the silver station wagon once again, squishing each other, and not caring. Daichi was still depressed, but not as much as the day before. The ride was over soon, and they arrived at the small town. Everyone pushed and shoved their way out of the vehicle and looked around. Most of the little shops were open, since it was 12:00 already. Hikaru paused for a moment and glanced at every child and teen.

"Okay, everyone; Split into groups-they can be with anyone, as long as there are only 4 people per group," She declared. As always, everyone abided, chatting the whole time.

"Stay together and go anywhere you want-as long as they are in the town. Be at the car by 2 o' clock. See you then!" Hikaru babbled as she strolled away. Rain and Ramona smiled at each other, as if to say,_" Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?_"

"Let's go to-"Ramona started.

"The park!" they both cheered in unison. Everyone else in the park nodded and smiled, all except Daichi.

"No.I-I can't…" Daichi mumbled.

"Why?"

"…I just can't!" she spat. Everyone glanced around awkwardly.

"You can stay at the car if you're gonna act all depressed!" Mariko snapped.

"…You're right. I shouldn't ruin your time with my sulking," she sighed, walking back to the car. Rain stared at her guiltily, but continued to stroll with the others. A stray, filthy-looking dog limped towards them. The pitiful creature gave Ramona a pang of pity and sympathy in her chest.

"What are you looking at?" Mariko asked.

"Oh… That poor dog…" Ramona breathed, not even realizing she was asked a question.

"What dog?"

"Never mind," Ramona breathed, letting the pitiful creature creep away.

The first stop for Sachico, Motoshi, Romi, and Kinji was the toy store. Sachico and Romi ooed and awed at the beautifully painted dolls, while Kinji and Motoshi laughed and joked around. Romi intently stared at a porcelain doll with brown eyes and black hair, just like herself. Out of nowhere, it flew off the high shelf and careened to the floor.

"NO!" Sachico yelled dramatically, holding out her arms in attempt to catch the falling doll. Unexpectedly, it slowed down. Everyone, including Sachico, was surprised that the toy simply dropped into the young girl's arms. The store manager rushed over with wide eyes.

"Whoa, you actually caught that?" He asked with disbelief.

"er….Yes?" Sachico replied, not completely sure if what happened was just an illusion.

"…You know what? Keep it."

"Huh?!" All four gasped.

"You," He pointed to Romi, "You deserve one, too."

_"Really?"_ she smiled. He nodded, and she looked at Kinji.

"Can you put me on your shoulder?"

"Sure," he bent down and let her climb on him. She stared at each doll carefully, considering each one. Romi did this for 15 minutes before picking one. The doll she picked was one of the most expensive ones, with blue eyes and brown hair, just like herself.

"What's the time?" Motoshi asked quickly, remembering the very important rule.

"1:45," the manager stated happily.

Both the girls put down their new dolls and hugged the manager as hard as they could, exclaiming thank you so much every few seconds. The girls let him go and retrieved their prized dolls. Motoshi fell behind the group and approached the manager once again.

" You don't understand how much you've done for those girls," he uttered.

"I guess you can't tell unless you know 'em, right?" The manager smiled.

"Yeah. Well, thanks again," Motoshi finished before catching up with the others. His pace grew quicker as he realized the time. Fortunately, they all made it to the car in time. Actually, they were the second group there at 1:50. Hikaru wasn't mad more than she was anxious. She was so anxious, that she didn't realize the girls had new dolls in their arms until they showed them off.

"Where did you get _those?_" She wondered.

"A nice store-guy gave them to us after I saved her!" Sachico exclaimed, holding up her doll triumphantly. The third group arrived at exactly 2:00, but the fourth group, which Ramona, Rain, Mariko, and Daichi didn't show up for a while.

Kinji stared at the road, and pointed," There they are."

"What are they carrying?" inquired Sachico.


	18. 18) Wawa

Chapter 18

"Yeah, what is that?" Kinji gawked. Ramona carried something large in her arms, but no one could make out what it was.

"Maybe they got something good, too," Romi murmured. As they approached closer, the thing she carried became even less clear. Romi noticed that it was furry. Because of this trait, no one could guess what it was. Instead, everybody placed little bets on I what she held.

"It's a blanket!"

"It's a wig!"

"It's a pillow!" Ramona's group smiled as they made it to the car.

"What's that?" they all blurted.

"It's a dog!" Mariko exclaimed sarcastically. The young girls rushed up to look at the dog, since they haven't seen one in a long time.

"Hey, doggie!" they cooed sweetly.

"No,_ oh_ no! We're not bringing that filthy thing in the house!" Hikaru declared.

"Why?" everyone, including Ramona whined. Hikaru sighed, because she knew she couldn't just _not_ let them keep it. If she did, they would hold a grudge on her forever.

"Pleeeease?" Romi pleaded, tearing her eyes up. One interesting thing about Romi was that she could cry on command; she used this as an advantage for situations just like this.

"Fine!" Hikaru sighed," As long as you take care of it."

"Okay!" Almost everyone exclaimed. Hikaru knew this wasn't true. What will really happen is they take care of the dog for a week, then push all the work and responsibility of a pet on her. The dog looked old and injured, which worried Hikaru.

Mariko protested, "That thing's not sterile! We can't bring that creature home!"

"Shh! Don't call her that! You'll hurt her feelings!" Sachico defended.

"Hmph. How do you know that it's a girl?" Mariko shot back.

"…I don't," Sachico admitted.

The new pet was given a bath the same day it was brought home. Ramona and Sachico bathed it and tied ribbons in the dog's white fur. They presented "Princess", the name they had given to the dog, to everybody. Some laughed, while others stared at the dog blankly. It wasn't a tiny dog, nor a large one. Everyone categorized it as medium. "Princess" was around 10 pounds, and had white fur with a few brown spots here and there. Motoshi picked her up and lifted up her tail.

"Umm…Sachico?" he stammered.

"What?" She questioned sweetly.

"The dog is… a boy."

"What?!" everyone cried. A few teens giggled to each other.

"What're we gonna do now?" Ramona puzzled.

"Let's rename him Spot!" someone suggested.

"No way!" Mariko whined.

"Let's name him Wawa!" Romi said, pushing her black hair out of her eyes.

"That's so cute!" Sachico agreed. Everybody smiled and nodded to the suggestion.

"Wawa it is!" Ramona declared.


	19. 19) Bite The Bullet

**Chapter 19**

The white and brown dog was a happy addition to the 'family'. Everyone who lived in the house considered them selves one big family. Haru loved him especially, since she never saw a dog before. Everyone took turns bathing and feeding Wawa, and Haru volunteered for everything. It was a cloudy day, but still happy. Haru fed Wawa as always, but decided to give him an extra scrap of food from last night's supper. The dog- loving girl held out the morsel in her hand for Wawa to take, but he kept eating his dog food. She insisted by putting it closer to his face. He growled and suddenly, chomped down on Haru's small hand. She screamed in pain and shock, drawing everyone's attention.

"What happened?" Motoshi yelled, frightened for his little sister.

"N-nothing!" she stammered, hiding her now bleeding hand from everyone. Rain approached her slowly and gently.

"It's okay; let me see it," Rain murmured. Haru shook her head, afraid of what would happen. Rain was surprised the girl didn't succumb to her sweet commands.

"You're not in trouble," Ramona chimed in. Haru looked around, fear welling in her chest, and her lungs tightening.

"I-I'm okay, really!" Haru insisted, slightly backing away from everyone. Out of frustration, Motoshi grabbed the arm that the little girl hid, and revealed it to everyone. Blood ran down Haru's arm; the whole room gasped as the injured girl sobbed.

Motoshi scooped her up and Ramona ordered," Take her to Black Jack's place." All 16 children followed Ramona to the Hazama house. Praying he would be home, the sky darkened a little. Rain whispered assuring words as they made their way inside. Pinoko opened the door with a shocked expression on her face.

"Is Black Jack home?" Ramona inquired Nodded her head, and everybody stampeded inside. Pinoko stumbled into the doctor's study.

"…Chenchei, you've got a few visitors…"Pinoko stuttered.

"I'm coming," he replied, closing his book. Not knowing what waited for him, Black Jack sauntered into his living room. He stopped in his tracks and looked at everyone.

"What happened?" He asked, confused and a little dazed. Motoshi emerged dramatically with Haru in his arms.

"She was bit by our dog," Motoshi stated.

"Where did you get the dog?" Black Jack inquired.

"It was a stray," Motoshi replied. Haru buried her face in her brother's shirt. Whispering kind words in her ear, he followed Black Jack to the examination room. Motoshi laid her on the table. Scanning her surroundings, Haru frowned. She tried her best to hide her injured hand and play it off as if nothing was there at all. Motoshi's face turned red, and he grabbed the little girl's hand. Holding the small, injured hand down, Motoshi uttered,"Do what you need to while I hold her."

"That won't be necessary," Black Jack shot back.

"Actually, I would rather you stay outside," he continued coldly. Motoshi nodded respectfully, walking slowly towards the door. Haru still had her hand where her brother left it, as if he was still holding it. Black Jack held the girl's hand gently, examining it thoroughly. Haru flinched a few times, but stayed silent and still.

"Am I gonna die?" Haru asked, her voice completely serious.

Almost laughing, Black Jack replied, "No. Honestly, this isn't that bad. " She watched him as he cleaned out her wound, as she didn't want to miss anything. Strangely, Haru had an obsession with how animals "work". How they move, breathe, eat, it all excites her.

Meanwhile, Motoshi wrung his hands and bit his fingernails.

"It's alright!" Ramona moaned, annoyed at his worries. Rain stared out the window, watching the waves crash against the rocks that jutted out of the beautiful ocean.

"What are they doing anyway? Whatever it is, it's taking way too long," Mariko complained.

"Wait! Do you think she might lose her hand?" Motoshi fretted.

"Oh, yeah. He's probably through the bone by now," Mariko teased, sounding slightly serious. Taking her seriously, he bit another nail, causing it to bleed. Sachico held her doll close, whispering to it occasionally. Suddenly, a book flew off the large bookshelf. Placing the doll gently on the couch, Sachico grabbed the book. Everyone gawked at her with wide, curious eyes as she flipped through it.

"Uh, How did you-" Mariko stuttered.

"Do what?" Sachico asked, as if she'd walked over and picked up the book by herself. This also would have been strange, since the shelf was too high for Sachico to reach. Finding an interesting page, Sachico put her finger on the first word and began to read. Everyone sat around her and listened, some helping her with the longer words. The book was Pinocchio. Ramona sat alone, ashamed of her illiteracy. _How can a girl so much younger than me read so well?_ Ramona thought. At a particularly exciting part, Black Jack emerged from the hall, Haru behind him. As expected, her hand was covered in bandages. Motoshi glared at Black Jack.

"I would suggest you get rid of the dog that bit Haru. Please give me the dog, so I can have a chance to test it for rabies," he said, before returning to the back room. Motoshi ran to Haru, and embraced her. Sachico closed Pinocchio, and ran over to her friend. Soon after, Black Jack returned with a small bottle.

"Give this to her orally for a month," he instructed. Nodding, Rain took the bottle.


	20. 20) Changes

**Chapter 20**

She wanted to be left alone. She simply sat in her room and moved things. No one knew how or why, but she did. Books, toys, pencils, they were all easy. The pills weren't ideal to her, but she still took them. Haru would only let Sachico in with her, as they both had the strange ability. They helped each other control their abilities, since it was very difficult. Haru seemed to know her power as much as she knew Sachico.

"Why are we like this?" Sachico asked one day.

"If I knew, I would've told you already," Haru sighed, levitating a textbook and flipping the pages.

"Do you think the experiments-"

Haru cut her off," Yes; I'm pretty sure." The room stayed silent for a while.

"Do you think we could hurt anybody with our power?"

" I don't think so. Unless you picked up a knife and stabbed someone to death," Haru replied. Sachico insisted that they controlled their powers before they were around everyone else. Of course, that meant not going to school either. Rain wouldn't allow it during school days, but while they were home, she said," Have at it."

"I think I'm ready to be with everyone else," Haru commented.

"Yeah, me too. I'm tired of this, anyway," Sachico agreed, standing and leaving with Haru close by.

"So, you're back from solitary confinement, huh?" Ramona uttered, drawing a cute picture of a cat.

"Yes; we are," Haru greeted as Sachico's face turned a bright red.

"We were not in solitary confinement! We were there cuz we wanted to be!" Sachico shot back, determined to have the last word. Haru hurried out of the room while holding her friend's hand, wanting to end the skirmish as quickly as possible. They made their way outside, where they drew a hopscotch pattern in the dirt. Sachico searched around for a small stone to play with, as Haru drew the numbers 1-7. After playing for a while, someone appeared from the hill. Sachico stared at him for a second, then recognized him and smiled.

"Kiriko!" Sachico greeted, running up to him. He smiled and acknowledged her with a smile. Haru got a strange feeling when she saw him. Maybe it was because he was a stranger, or maybe it was because he wore an eyepatch like herself. She wondered what was wrong with him as he went inside their house.

Watching him approach the house, Ramona let out a huge sigh. She decided to stay in her room with Rain while he was there.

"Oh, that man's here," Ramona uttered.

"What man?" Rain puzzled. Ramona shook her head, wanting to drop the subject. She hated him in person, and didn't want to spoil her good mood by thinking of him. Rain didn't get that Kiriko wasn't a good person to be around most of the time, so she greeted him happily. Ramona could only watch as they introduced themselves to each other. From the look of it, people were going to believe Ramona was a liar. Sighing, she returned to her drawing and decided to stay in her room until Kiriko was gone.

"Can I get you anything?" Rain asked, remembering her manners.

"No. I came to get that dog," he replied, seeming tired. Picking up on his age, Rain felt a small connection with him. Her father disappeared when she was 5, and Kiriko reminded her of him.

Sighing from the memory, Rain frowned, "Do you mean Wawa?"

"Sure," Kiriko yawned. Sachico remembered her doll, and quickly retrieved it. Rain quickly found Wawa, and handed it to him.

"Look, look!" Sachico exclaimed as she held up her prized doll proudly. Wondering who paid for the luxurious toy, Kiriko smiled.

"She's pretty," he stated, yawning again.

"Why are you so sleepy?" Sachico smiled, lowering the blonde haired doll.

"I dunno. Why are you so giddy?" Kiriko uttered.

"…I'm not sure," she sighed, taking her doll back to her room, where she spent most of her days if Sachico wasn't going anywhere. Rain returned with Wawa in her arms.

"If the dog doesn't have rabies, will we be able to keep her?" Haru said out of nowhere, startling everyone in the room.

"Uhh, I don't think so," Kiriko sighed, wanting to get home. Haru's eyes darkened. Suddenly, the dog was ripped out of the man's arms and was rushed out of the door, along with Haru. She ran for a long time, not seeming to run out of energy. Not able to follow her, Kiriko didn't try perusing her. Instead, Sachico and Rain sprinted at full speed in attempt to catch the runaway girl.

"I won't let you!" Haru screamed as she fell. Quickly recovering, she continued to get away. She knew of a special hiding place in the woods. Romi told her about it a while ago. There was absolutely no way her and Wawa would be separated. Tears burned the back of Haru's eyes.

_"I can't believe you!" _

_ "Shut up! It's not my fault!"_

_ "That's what you always say!" Fights like this were common when I was growing up. When I came home from school, I braced myself for the worst everyday. Screaming, hitting, crying, these were only a few things I had to endure. Mom was an alcoholic. Dad didn't have a job. I, a baby who was apoor excuse for a child, had to learn to clean house, cook, and get myself ready for the day. We didn't have much, but I had the least. I shared a bed with Mom, and not many clothes. The room I slept in was a mess; empty alcohol bottles littered the floor, along with trash and other random filth. The bed was just a mattress stashed in the corner of the room. Even living in these conditions, I had a happy life. Making do with what's available, and being optimistic makes life so much better. Bieng a happy child proved extremely difficult, since Mom would lash out at me for not washing my clothes often, or throwing away an empty bottle that she claimed was still "good"._

_One day, as I was walking from school, a stray dog crossed my path. It looked at me with warm, understanding eyes. I couldn't help myself, and approached it. Thankfully, it didn't growl, nor run away. It simply sat there, as if saying," I need a friend and you do, too." It's fur was matted and dirty, but nothing too bad. Though it was getting late, I made a makeshift dog house. It happily snuggled into the house. It was winter, so I made sure to make it as warm as possible._

_ "What are you doing?" a gruff voice asked angrily. I turned my head, startled. It was Dad. He yanked me up by my arm._

_ "You know to make me dinner by 6:00. It's 7:30," he said through gritted teeth. I looked at the dog as it stared at me with it's loving eyes. It began to snow, dropping the temperature by 10 degrees. I shivered as I made my way inside. Quickly preparing dinner, I sighed. _

_ "You've no reason to sigh. Once you get a hard life like me, you'll be granted permission to be sad," Dad scolded. I nodded, not knowing what to do. Placing his plate on the table, I frowned a little. Mom never ate dinner with the family, since she was already drunk by now. He hungrily gobbled it all down._

_ "Haru, your cooking sucks. They say someone's cooking reflects their personality, so I guess they're not too far off," Dad complained. My heart was grabbed with saddness. Walking to my room, my thoughts began to wonder. Who loves me? No one. Who benefits from my existence? No one. Why am I alive? That last question stayed with me, as I couldn't answer it. Mom was already passed out on the bed, so I joined her. Not bothering to take my school uniform off, I fell asleep._

_ The next morning was just like every other morning. I woke up, brushed my hair, and left. The walk to school was normal, but the events from the night before played in her mind in an eternal loop. My steps became slower and slower, until I stopped. Suddenly, the dog appeared in my mind. Did it freeze to death? Is it okay? These questions ripped at my mind until I decided to go to the doghouse._

_ When I got there, there wasn't a dog in sight. I searched frantically, but to no avail. My heart sunk. That dog was the only thing that truly loved me, and it was gone. _

_ "Looking for something?" A kind, gentle voice asked. I turned, to see a man._

_ "Uh…yeah. Have you seen a brown dog?" I uttered. The man shook his head. The tears that I held in for so long began to flow. He comforted me, as if he was my parent. All of the sudden, I felt something prick my arm. I ripped myself away out of shock. Smiling, the man watched as I fell to my knees. Everything around me blurred and distorted, until finally turning black._

Cuddling the dog in her arms, Haru tried to be as silent as possible. She didn't want Wawa to be taken away from her. The small dog squeaked and squirmed, not enjoying being still.

"Shhh, shh…" Haru cooed. Suddenly, someone approached her. No, no, no! her mind screamed. Not knowing what to do, Haru could only sit and watch as Rain discovered her hiding place.


	21. 21) Why?

**Chapter 21**

"Here she is!" Rain yelled. _Not that easily_, Haru thought. Wawa lifted out of Haru's arms, and everyone's heads turned to the floating dog. Haru used this to her advantage, sprinting towards the house.

"Haru, Stop!" Sachico screamed. Turning her attention to Sachico, Haru slowed a little. Sachico's eyes narrowed, and Haru lost her grip on the dog.

"No!" Haru yelled as Wawa flew into Sachico's arms. Falling to the ground, she wept. Anger and grief swelled in Haru's chest, and she let out a horrible screech that rung in everyone's ears. Haru ran over to Kiriko, who was now holding Wawa in his arms. She felt something grab her around her waist.

"Stop being so childish!" Sachico spat. Finally giving up, Haru fell to the ground.

"…Bye," Kiriko uttured, almost running to Black Jack's house. By this time, mostly everyone was outside, including Ramona. They all gawked as Haru stood and frowned. Covered in dirt and tears, Haru needed, and felt she deserved, a hot bath. When she requested this, however, Rain denied her of one.

"Go to the public shower in town; I have to wash the bath tub," Rain stated firmly as she placed 1,000 yen in Haru's hand. Haru never went to a public bath before, so she was a little nervous.

The walk to town was nice, as the sun was out. Haru looked at her hand; It still had a few small scars. Sighing, she entered the Sento. Haru took off her shoes and hastily shoved them into a locker. She didn't worry much about strangers seeing her naked, as she often bathed with someone else. This thought didn't last long as she remembered her numerous scars and developing body. An old woman greeted Haru as she entered the changing room. Plopping the money on the small counter, the woman handed Haru a white towel.

"Thank you," Haru smiled, taking the towel gratefully, since she didn't think to bring one. She glanced around the changing room, surveying everyone. Blushing, Haru stripped her clothes and wrapped the towel around herself. As she made her way to the wash room, she noticed a girl around her age.

"Hi!" the girl exclaimed.

"Hi, I'm Haru," Haru greeted, overjoyed to meet another girl.

"I'm Aya. Do you wanna bathe with me?"

"Yes, I would love to," Haru nodded. They both came alone, so they gave each other company. When they removed their towels, the girls could only gawk at each other's bodies. Haru could barely remember what it looked like to have no scars, and Aya never saw someone with so many before.

"What's wrong with you!?" Aya exclaimed, running away. Haru's heart sank. Almost wanting to cry, she laid her towel down and washed herself quickly.

"Hi, Haru," a voice greeted happily," I didn't expect to see you here." The voice belonged to Hikaru.

"…Hi…" Haru muttered.

Letting out a sigh, Hikaru asked," Alright, What's wrong with you?"

"What isn't wrong with me?!" Haru snapped.

"Everything,"

"Hmph. No one else has scars like I do!"

"You're not like everyone else; you know that."

"I was."

" 'Was' isn't 'is'."

"I don't care!" Haru exclaimed. Jumping out of the bath, Haru left. Hikaru could only watch as the young girl stormed out of the Sento. She knew Haru would hit puberty soon, and had to deal with the social ridicule of her scars.

Aya washed herself and hurried home. What was it she saw? That girl, Haru was it? She seemed like a normal girl, but in reality she's messed up. When Aya came home, she heaved a sigh of relief. She was safe from that girl.

"Momma, you'll never believe what I saw today!" Aya yelled as she entered her mother's room. She was making the bed, and turned to see her daughter.

"What was it?"

"A girl was alone, so I wanted to bathe with her, but her body was weird! She had a lot of scars on her stomach and she wore an eye patch!"

"Aya, some people aren't as lucky as you are," Aya's mother explained.

"Yeah, but…"

"No 'buts'. Go clean your room."

"Fine," Aya muttered.

Crying as she ran, Haru asked herself useless, painful questions. _Why can't I be normal? What's wrong with me?!_ She stopped. The street was busily moving. Aya skipped down the sidewalk with her pink towel draped on her shoulder. Narrowing her eyes, Haru's body filled with unspeakable rage. She didn't know Haru. She had no idea what she went through. No idea. Haru's eye twitched a few times. _No, no. I can't do this! _screamed a little voice in Haru's mind. The thought was too late, as Aya was already in the middle of the street. Cars rushed towards her, horns blaring. Haru simply watched as the small girl flew backward, landing with a dull thud.

Hikaru had a sinking feeling in her gut. Something was wrong. Quickly dressing and pulling on her shoes, she decided to go to the told her to run, but Hikaru couldn't find a rational reason to sprint down the sidewalk. Suddenly, a chorus of car horns and loud crashes filled her ears. Sprinting, she made her way to the sounds. The street was crowded with people, all gawking at something. On closer expection, Hikaru saw Haru staring at something, with a strange look in her blue eyes; something Hikaru never saw before. Someone screamed, interrupting Hikaru's thoughts.

"NO! My baby!" a husky woman shrieked. Pushing her way through, Hikaru looked at the small, bloody girl that lay on the pavement. The girl's nose was bleeding, and her eyes, half open, were glazed over. Hikaru bent down and checked her pulse. Dead. Feeling everyone's eyes burning into her, Hikaru put her hand on the girl's throat. The mother wept over her daughter's corpse. She closed her eyes. Hikaru did this only once before, and only did when it was an emergency. The girl's eyes popped open and she gasped for air. Her mother jumped back a bit, surprised by her daughter's awakening. The girl stared at Hikaru, as if in a daze, and smiled. Smiling back, Hikaru stood and left as the ambulance parked close by.

**No, no, no, NO!** Haru frowned and crossed her arms. Why did this happen? How did it happen? It didn't matter. Either way, she wasn't going to see that _girl_-that _Aya_ ever again.


	22. 22) Bloody Mary

**Chapter 22**

Haru kept replaying the incident in her mind. Why did she do that? What was the point?

"Hey, Haru," someone greeted. Not answering, Haru stared into the distance.

"Are you okay?" the person continued. Haru glanced at the person, and the person was a concerned Hikaru.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Where are you going?" Hikaru inquired, smiling.

"Where do you think?" Haru snapped, still shaken by yesterday. In reality, Haru wasn't sure where she was wondering either.

"From the looks of it, you're walking through poison ivy."

"Huh?" Haru looked down, and, indeed, she was ankle-deep in a patch of poison ivy. Jumping back, Hikaru giggled.

" You gotta watch where you're goin'!" She said through her giggles. Haru frowned as Sachico came out of the house.

"Hey, Haru!" she exclaimed, skipping towards Haru.

"Do you wanna play with me?" Sachico smiled.

"Sure," Haru nodded, concealing her agitation with Hikaru.

"OH, GOD!" Rain screamed. Ramona quickly ran to the noise, with Hikaru and a few others close by.

"What happened?!" Everyone shouted frantically. Pushing her way through, Hikaru shoved herself into the bathroom, where Rain was. Blood saturated Rain's underwear and toilet. Hikaru realized she didn't tell anyone about what happens to girls every month and sighed heavily.

"She's alright," She announced. Everybody looked at each other and left. Closing the door behind her, Hikaru stared at Rain seriously.

"Uh, Rain… I need to tell you something…"

"Every single month?! That sucks," Ramona moaned.

"I know…." Rain sighed.

"Boys don't even get one!" She cried.

"Get what?" Sachico asked sweetly.

"Nothing. Don't worry 'bout it," Rain answered.

"Hmph! No one tells me anything around here!" Sachico grunted, stomping out of the room.

"Ha, ha! Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary," Kinji sang, teasing Rain like always.

"What? How did you know?"

"Ha, you just have a loud mouth," he smiled.

"Shut up!" Rain snapped, seeming to lose her maturity for an instant. As much as Rain seemed to dislike Kinji, she secretly sweet for him.


End file.
